Mary Hogarth beautiful and light-hearted". When Robert Story visited the Hogarth household in 1836, he described Hogarth as "the fairest flower of spring". Dickens showed particular affection to Hogarth, and described her as "a close friend, an exceptional sister, a companion at home." It is believed that Hogarth was the first person to read "The Pickwick Papers" and "Oliver Twist", as Dickens valued Hogarth's input and feedback more than his wife's. In the early hours of 7 May 1837, after Hogarth had returned from a showing of "Is She His Wife?" at the St James's Theatre with the Dickens couple, she collapsed
Hogarth Painting the Comic Muse motto: "my picture was my stage and men and women my actors", as the Comic Muse was said to provide inspiration for playwrights. Seated in front of his easel, palette in hand, Hogarth eagerly works at his painting; Hogarth expressly wanted a self-portrait in which he was depicted in the middle of painting a piece, rather than in a static pose. Leaning against the right leg of the easel is Hogarth's "The Analysis of Beauty", a text which was written to complement this particular piece. X-ray analysis shows that the painting originally had a small dog relieving himself on a