The most famous characturist of his time, Max Beerbohm found a rich source of subjects in the Pre-Raphaelite circle, although he only ever met a few of its members in their later years. This caricature was made for Beerbohm's second book, 'The Poet's Corner', published in 1904. It is not intended to represent any actual occasion, but to highlight the incongruous mixture of Rossetti's circle of friends and his fondness for keeping exotic animals in the garden of his Chelsea house.