This cartoon satirises the marriage in April 1831 of the actress Maria Foote (1797-1821) to Charles Stanhope, the 4th Earl of Harrington (1780-1851). The motto above, meaning 'The die is cast' plays on her name and her considerable elevation in society from an actress of dubious morals to a countess. Foote is shown riding a horse through a winning post surmounted by a coronet. Her horse has the face and characteristic pointed beard of Stanhope, who is wearing a 'Harrington' hat, the type he popularised and that was named after him.

In January 1831 Maria Foote had starred as Arinette, the Little Jockey in William Dimond's eponymous comic burletta at the Olympic Theatre. Singing the songs 'Why pretty maiden?' and 'The boy in yellow wins the day' one reviewer declared her 'the most perfect presentation' of a little jockey ever witnessed'. The added attraction of seeing actresses in 'breeches roles', with their legs on display, was a popular feature of entertainment at the Olympic Theatre. The political cartoonist William Heath (1795-1840), who also had a penchant for the theatre, makes the most of her jockey's costume revealing her figure.