The first Black actor to play Shakespeare's Otello on a British stage, Ira Aldridge was born a free man in the United States in 1807. He began acting in New York before traveling to England, where he was chosen to fill the role of Otello after the death of actor Edmund Kean. Aldridge went on to build a successful career in the theatre through Europe and Russia, becoming one of the world's highest paid actors. It is believed that this portrait shows the actor as he appeared in the role of Otello.