This is one of over 40 portraits of people from South Asia painted at the request of Queen Victoria. The Munshi Abdul Karim entered Queen Victoria’s service in 1887 as her personal Indian servant. Munshi means writer or secretary and was the title used in British India for native language teachers or secretaries. In 1888 he became the Queen’s official Indian Secretary. He taught her Hindi and she considered him ‘a perfect gentleman’. On his accession to the throne, however, Edward VII sent the Munshi back to India. He was given a Royal Household pension in 1901 and died in Agra.

Rudolf Swoboda was born in Vienna in 1859 and studied under his uncle Leopold Carl Müller between 1878 and 1884. Between 1885 and 1893 Swoboda worked for Queen Victoria. On the 7 October 1886 he travelled to India, passing through Afghanistan and Kashmir on route, to undertake a commission from the sovereign. Queen Victoria paid for his passage and gave him £300 to cover his travelling expenses. In return he was to provide the Queen with sketches worth £300. The Queen gave Swoboda specific instructions: 'The Sketches Her Majesty wishes to have – are of the various types of the different nationalities. They should consist of heads of the same size as those already done for The Queen, and also small full lengths, as well as sketches of landscapes, buildings, and other scenes. Her Majesty does not want any large pictures done at first, but thinks that perhaps you could bring away material for making them should they eventually be wished for.' When Sir Howard Elphinstone, a contemporary, saw some of the sketches in 1888 he observed: 'They are very clever indeed, most characteristic of the different types, & drawn with wonderful vigour'. When Queen Victoria received them she was very pleased and thought them 'such lovely heads… beautiful things'.

Like many of the portraits of South Asian sitters carried out by Swoboda for Queen Victoria, Karim looks directly at the viewer, and is depicted against a plain grey background.  The edges of the canvas have been left unfinished however, the canvas exposed, suggesting that the artist originally envisioned an oval frame format for this portrait, differentiating it from others in the series.

Signed and dated: R Swoboda. 1889.