Contemporary with the drawing of Burne-Jones and Maria is the scene of Morris and his wife, Jane. Morris suffered greatly in the late 1860s and early 1870s as he was going through a love trauma of a different kind. He was struggling to come to terms with the loss of his wife's love to his charismatic friend, Rossetti. Morris's tenderness is evident in this drawing in which he leans tentatively over Jane; her sad and thoughtful expression and the book dropping forgotten in her hand suggest that her thoughts are far away. Jane was often ill during these years, no doubt in part due to the strain of her relationship with Rossetti; although Morris and their close circle knew of it, they kept it a well-guarded secret to avoid scandal and social ostracism. The image of her lying on the sofa is a familiar one.

In these two very personal drawings, Burne-Jones expresses intimate and difficult times in both his own and William Morris's life.

Alternatively a different interpretation can be made that the figure on the sofa is Maria Zambaco, with Morris observing her disapprovingly as his sympathies lay with Georgiana.

Burne-Jones's passionate 'misdemeanour' with Maria Zambaco began in the late 1860s and continued for about three years. She was an exceptionally beautiful member of the London Greek colony and had some skill as a sculptress. The impact that their affair had on Burne-Jones was profound yet it was very much an offshoot of Rossetti's liaisons with Elizabeth Siddal and Jane Morris. Like Rossetti, he saw Maria as a symbol of his muse as much as a fleshy reality; the drawings and paintings of her are permeated by a quality of unearthly beauty and sadness. It may well be that the reason for the withdrawal from The Old Watercolour Society of 'Phyllis and Demophoon' in 1869 was that it portrayed Maria semi-nude clutching an almost nude man, the reference to his personal affairs being too close for the satisfaction of the committee. The present collection of comic drawings gives a rare insight into the relationship, revealing a whimsy and parody that characterise a liaison that was more than purely sensual.

Burne-Jones destroyed all his letters from Maria Zambaco, except, perhaps, the one Georgie found in his pocket.