This cover or hanging was probably made between 1875 and 1885, given the fashionable dress of its characters. It is made using a piecing technique similar to marquetry, known as 'inlay' or 'intarsia'. Cut-out fabric shapes are inlaid into an identical cut-out space in another fabric (usually a heavy woollen cloth). They are then stitched from the reverse side, using tiny stitches that are not visible on the front. Applique has also been widely used, whereby shaped pieces of fabric are stitched on top of the ground material in order to create the design.

The central panels depict the various rituals and emotions associated with courtship, moving from ‘Admiration’ to ‘Zingari’ (an archaic term for the Romany community). These images are framed by a border that makes reference to an array of cultural figures and symbols, including fairground favourites such as Mr Punch, and gaming card motifs in the four corners. Coupled with the size of the object, these references suggest that it may have been created in relation to a card game. Textiles with playing-card motifs became particularly popular in the 1880s and ’90s. It was also common to associate love and gambling at this time. In George Eliot’s novel Daniel Deronda (1876) games of chance are played both around the gaming table and with the heart. The gestures of the central figures on the cover also suggest the widespread appeal of melodrama. Prints, plays, novels and the music hall all helped to popularize the form and many of its associated characters.