Picking waterlilies

This is a charming early work by the artist, executed when he was only twenty-four. He was the son of the painter Frank Stone, and later developed his father's friendship with Charles Dickens, who in turn came to regard him 'almost as a son'. When Frank Stone died in 1859, Dickens set about promoting Marcus's career and commissioned him to illustrate Our Mutual Friend and Great Expectations in the 1860s. Until 1874, much of his exhibited work at the Royal Academy involved depictions of scenes from history. He was to find lasting fame, however, with his depictions of encounters from the Regency period, many of which were reproduced as engravings.