William Charles Bell trained as an enamel painter in Geneva before securing his first royal commission in March 1850. From then onwards, he was employed constantly by Queen Victoria for almost 50 years, painting enamel miniatures, often copied after Franz Xaver Winterhalter's oil portraits, for her own collection and for distribution as gifts. His enamels were usually smaller than those by Henry Pierce Bone, William Essex or John Simpson, whose services she had previously employed, and many were set into items of jewellery, particularly Maid of Honour brooches. Queen Victoria's last payment to Bell, in July 1899, was for '6 Miniatures on Gold for Maid of Honour brooches'. Owing to his advanced years, the Queen then gave him no further work but awarded him an annual pension of £20.

Bell's enamel is after a full-length photograph by John Edwin Mayall of Princess Helena taken on the occasion of her marriage on 5 July 1866 to Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle (RCIN 2909536).

Signed and inscribed on the counter-enamel in black paint: H.R.H. / Princess Helena / [in] her wedding dress / […] 5 th July 1866 / Painted by W.C. Bell