Earthenware flatbacks and figurines for mantelpiece decoration were first produced in Staffordshire in the late 1830s. The earliest datable figures appear to be of Queen Victoria. Production of earthenware figures continued throughout Victoria's lifetime, but although they were still made after her death in 1901, few appear to have been produced after 1905. During their heyday, however, they were produced in vast numbers, usually modelled after prints. They represented a wide variety of subjects but those of actors and actresses were especially popular. This figuerine represents the actress Sarah Siddons (1755-1831) as Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Sarah Siddons was born Sarah Kemble, and was a member of the extraordinary Kemble family who dominated the British stage in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. When young she acted with William Siddons whom she married in 1773, against her parents' wishes. She first appeared as Lady Macbeth in London in 1785 and soon became London's leading actress, excelling in tragic and heroic roles. Lady Macbeth was also the part that Mrs Siddons chose for her farewell performance in June 1812.