[1] Lawrence was Britain's foremost society portraitist of the Regency era and was commissioned by George IV, a regular patron of the artist for whom he supplied various paintings for the Waterloo Chamber, to depict Scott for a fee of three hundred guineas.

At the height of his career with his Waverley novels celebrated across Europe and America, his popular romantic historical fiction, including Ivanhoe and Rob Roy was influential across the arts.

Lawrence depicts him as an author holding a pen in his right hand with writing material on the desk to his left.

[2] It was acclaimed by the reviewer in the Morning Post who praised the portrait's "truth to nature".

[3] Lawrence's painting may have originally been intended to hang at Carlton House, in London, the King's primary residence when he came to the throne.