Marcus Stone was an illustrator and painter who was active in the latter part of the 19th Century.
Stone was trained by his father, Frank Stone, who had been a noted illustrator was a friend and companion of Charles Dickens (and antagonist of the Pre-Raphaelite painters).
Marcus Stone was exhibiting at the Royal Academy at the age of eighteen, and was illustrating books by Dickens and other noted authors a few years later.
After finding himself frustrated with the restraints of illustration and reproduction techniques of the time, he transitioned into gallery paintings. He was elected to the Royal Academy as an associate and later as an academician, and was the recipient of awards and praise from the artistic establishment.
He focused at first on history painting and later specialized in scenes of romantic drama, often set in lush formal gardens.
His later work shows a brighter and more painterly approach, as the influence of the new styles of painting spread through Europe and the UK.