Having invaded Zululand, the British Army under lord Chelmsford suffered a major defeat at Isandlwana, partially mitigated by the successful defense of Rorke's Drift of the same day.

[1] The initial title was The Last Stand at Isandhula, an incorrect spelling of the name of the isolated Mount Isandlwana, South Africa, where the event occurred.

[2]: 2  Fripp's depiction of the Zulus was notably accurate for the time, as he was fond of the Zulu after witnessing their warriors' courage at the battle of Ulundi.

He speculates that Fripp only saw Isandlwana in some contemporary photographs, which depicted a large cairn on the side of the mountain very similar to what came to be the painting's image.

A previous work of his, also portraying the events of Isandlwana and depicting the death of officers Nevill Coghill and Teignmouth Melvill, was well received by the public in 1881.

[2]: 1  Having ended six years prior, the general interest in the Anglo-Zulu war had considerably diminished, and the British public was reluctant and embarrassed to remember the biggest defeat in the conflict.

Over the next years and decades The Last Stand at Isandlwana experienced a growing level of popularity, becoming one of the most notable pieces of art regarding the Anglo-Zulu war, and as one of the most notorious and reproduced military paintings of all time.