This figurine, modelled for Doulton by C.J. Noke, represents Ellen Terry (1847-1928) as Queen Katherine in Shakespeare's Henry VIII which she first played at the Lyceum Theatre on 5 January 1892 to Henry Irving's Cardinal Wolsey. Irving spared no expense on the lavish settings and costumes for this production, based on paintings by Holbein. Ellen Terry was first employed by Irving at the Lyceum Theatre in 1878; she was his leading lady until 1902 and their on-stage partnership became one of the most famous in the history of the theatre.

Doulton originally produced a monochrome version of this, and Irving as Wolsey, at Burslem in the 1890s. They later re-issued it in the HN series as HN379. Royal Doulton began in Lambeth, London, in 1815 when John Doulton manufactured ceramic items such as stoneware bottles and sewer pipes. The Victorian revolution in hygiene and sanitation ensured its success, and Doulton's later produced tableware and commemorative items. They moved to Burslem in The Potteries in 1882, added porcelain to their production two years later and were granted a Royal Warrant in 1901.