This is one of several wax figurines executed by Agatha Walker in the 1920s of actors and actresses in successful London stage productions. There had been a 19th-century craze for Staffordshire earthenware figurines of performers and Agatha Walker's work echoed this tradition. Her figurines, produced as limited editions, were modelled from life in plaster and coated with a fine layer of wax which was then coloured. In 1931 London's Fine Arts Society held an exhibition of her work.

This represents Edith Evans (1886-1961) as Mrs. Sullen in George Farquhar's comedy The Beaux' Stratagem, Lyric Theatre Hammersmith, 20 January 1927. Edith Evans's first professional stage appearance was in 1912 but she made her name when she played Millamant in The Way of the World at the Lyric Theatre in 1924. She then took leading roles at the Old Vic in the 1925-1926 season but returned to the Lyric to play Mrs. Sullen in The Beaux' Stratagem. This was another successful production for Sir Nigel Playfair, the owner of the theatre who had purchased the lease in 1918 when it was a derelict building, and transformed it into a highly successful venue, putting Hammersmith firmly on the theatrical map.