When Kitty falls to her death in one of Covent Garden’s seedier tenements at the end of 1735, it’s seen as an unfortunate accident. But the memory haunts the nightmares of Kitty’s neighbour, Jeremiah Potts. Jeremiah scrapes his own poor living by running errands for local artists, the most famous being William Hogarth – seemingly unstoppable since the success of his Harlot’s Progress. Hogarth has started work on a new painting that shows a woman walking across Covent Garden Piazza. The image raises immediate questions for the artist’s wife, Jane – but also appears to hark back to something in her husband’s past. A similar, half-forgotten history torments another local resident, Prudence Hyssop, who is determined that the New Year of 1736 should signal a fresh start. Meanwhile, gentleman-painter Jonathan Smallow has one thing only in mind. Murder. In a fast-moving tale of lost innocence, thwarted ambition, artistic skulduggery, and blind passion, the lives of Jeremiah, Prudence, Smallow, and the Hogarths are thrown together in new and unforeseen ways. Set against the vibrant backdrop of Covent Garden, Mr Hogarth’s Morning paints a compelling picture that blends dark desires with colourful comedy to create a totally new and unforgettable view of eighteenth-century London.
