Composed several decades after its original publication in 1836, Robert Browning inscribed a hand-written fair copy version of "Porphyria" in 1863. The significance of this 1863 version comes from the fact that Robert Browning had only moved back to London two years prior in 1861, following the death of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. This signifies the 1863 fair copy version as the first preserved edit made to "Porphyria" since 1842, shortly before Browning's departure to Italy (1846).