The artist (born 1840) was the son of Dicken's old pal, Frank Stone who had died in 1859. Dickens recommended Marcus for several commissions, the most successful being the illustrations for Our Mutual Friend, issued in 1964 in parts.

I scan them here so they fill your screen,, demonstrating his skills and basic competence. Millais was clearly his sure guide to a career in illustration, particularly the images of couples on a seashore. The main titlepage is consistent with an early mode of illustration, while several images show an awareness of Whistler (an obvious choice for the Thames and its stage sets). Stone did indeed become a celebrated Academician, surrendering his gifts for a repetitive repertoire of imaginatively composed figure in scenes of great dullness and exhausted subject matter. His illustrations for Dickens show his feeling for landscape and ability to convey suppressed emotion.