How was William Hogarth connected to Sir James Thornhill’s family?

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The Painter and His Pug, self-portrait by William Hogarth, oil on canvas, 1745; in the Tate Gallery, London. — William Hogarth *The Painter and His Pug*, self-portrait by William Hogarth, oil on canvas, 1745; in the Tate Gallery, London.

William Hogarth was connected to Sir James Thornhill’s family through his marriage to Thornhill’s daughter, Jane. Hogarth eloped with Jane in March 1729, and the union proved to be a stable and contented marriage.1

Prior to this, Hogarth had established a significant professional relationship with the artist. In 1724, Hogarth joined a drawing school that had been opened in Sir James Thornhill’s house. Thornhill, who held the position of sergeant painter to the king and was the first knighted English-born artist, became a mentor and hero to Hogarth, who admired his adaptation of the late Baroque style. Thornhill also supported Hogarth professionally, notably serving as a witness in a 1728 lawsuit Hogarth brought against a tapestry weaver.2