This print of William Whewell is a standard 19th century portrait of an eminent Victorian. Samuel Laurence painted portraits of numerous writers and Cambridge men in the 19th century.

Whewell was a central figure in 19th century British science and a close friend of John FW Herschel's. He spent his entire career at Trinity College Cambridge, moving through the ranks to become master of Trinity in 1841. Outside of Cambridge he was best known for his writing which included works on the various physical sciences including astronomy, physics and mineralogy, as well as on the history of philosophy of science.

William Whewell was a close friend of John FW Herschel's and of the Herschel family as a whole. William and Cordelia Whewell had no children of their own, but did play a significant role in the upbringing of the Herschel children. They, along with Maria Edgeworth, were godparents to the Herschel's fifth daughter, Amelia (1839-1926) and had one of the children to stay with them on at least one occasion (Maria Sophia (1839-1929) certainly goes to stay with them in 1853).