Stars of the 19th century theatre were often celebrated in paintings, prints and drawings, and in ceramic figurines. Several Staffordshire factories specialised in moulded earthenware portrait figurines which were decorated by hand and sold cheaply. This figure represents the English actor-manager William Charles Macready (1793-1873) as the Scottish king, James V, in the historical play The King of the Commons, written by the Reverend James White. Macready first played the role of James at the Princess's Theatre, London, on 20 May 1846.

The son of a provincial actor-manager, Macready made his first stage appearance at Birmingham as Romeo, and his London debut in 1816 at Covent Garden. By 1819 he was firmly established as a leading actor and a rival to the great Edmund Kean. His Lear, Hamlet and Macbeth were especially acclaimed, prompting the critic Hazlitt to call him the best tragic actor of his day, with the exception of Kean. At various times Macready managed both Covent Garden and Drury Lane theatres, and, until his retirement in 1851, he worked hard to encourage excellence in his profession and to make many reforms in both acting and texts.