Scraps first appeared in the early 19th century as black-and-white engravings, and were later coloured by hand. By the 1820s they had become more elaborate and sometimes embossed, and within a decade both the printing and embossing processes were automated. They were colour printed by chromolithography, and coated with a gelatine and gum layer to give them a gloss finish. After being embossed they were die-cut and put through a stamping press to cut away the unwanted areas of paper, leaving the individual images connected by small strips, often bearing the name or initials of the maker.

Scraps became extremely popular in Victorian England to be cut out by adults or children and stuck into albums, on to screens, or used for decorating greetings cards. This scrap is one of a set of twelve produced by Signumd Hildesheimer & Company depicting Shakespearean characters played by popular actors. They were sold in packs costing one shilling, titled Characters from Shakespeare. A Series of Twelve Relief Scraps. Wilson Barrett and Mary Eastlake, seen here as Ophelia and Hamlet, starred in Hamlet at London's Princess's Theatre, 18 October 1884.