Warhol was obsessed with fame and produced many pictures of the rich and famous. However, he was never afraid to solicit commissions for portraits and would often suggest that he could create a portrait of a pet, if someone was unwilling to sit for their own portrait. Maurice was the beloved dachshund of Gabrielle Keiller, who bequeathed her art collection to the Gallery of Modern Art in 1995. This was the first painting by Warhol to enter the Gallery's collection. To create this screenprinted image, he worked from Polaroids of Maurice, taken at Keiller's London home.