Photographs like this were taken by photographic agencies and delivered to newspapers speculatively by so-called 'runners'. Dennis Oulds, who became a photographer and spent most of his working life from before the Second World War at the now-defunct Central Press Photos who took this photograph, recalled starting as a runner at the agency earning 10 shillings (50p) a week, delivering photographs to the newspapers, attempting to get there before rival agency runners.

This photograph was owned by Margaret Courtenay (1923-1996) whose long career spanned 65 years, encompassing stage, television and film. Her obituary in The Independent described her as: 'the grande dame of British comedy... a formidable exponent of both classicaland modern drama, opera and musical comedy', and noted her command of the stage as: 'a physical presence which demanded attention and a voice of all-embracing resonace.' Her early career included two seasons at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford upon Avon, in 1947 and 1949, and three seasons at the Old Vic where she played Goneril in King Lear and Queen Gertrude in Hamlet with Judi Dench as Ophelia, parts they played on the 1959 Yugoslavian tour.

The two-week tour sponsored by the British Council presented Michael Benthall's production of Hamlet in Belgrade, Zagreb and Ljubljana. The company returned to Heathrow on 29th March 1959.