Hilary Knight

Hilary Knight (born November 1, 1926) is an American writer-artist who is the illustrator of more than 50 books and the author of nine books. He is best known as the illustrator of Kay Thompson's Eloise (1955) and others in the Eloise series.

Knight has illustrated for a wide variety of clients, creating artwork for magazines, children's fashion advertisements, greeting cards, record albums and posters for Broadway musicals, including Gypsy, Irene, Half A Sixpence, Hallelujah Baby! and No, No Nanette. The son of artist-writers Clayton Knight and Katharine Sturges, Hilary Knight was born on Long Island in Hempstead. His father illustrated aviation books, and his mother was a fashion and book illustrator. Living in Roslyn, New York as a child, Hilary was age six when he moved to Manhattan with his family. Knight attended City and Country School (class of 1940) for elementary and middle school and Friends Seminary for high school.

Knight recalled:

As a child, I loved to look at a set of books which belonged to my mother. They were illustrated by Edmund Dulac in a romantic, wonderful, detailed manner. I know he has influenced my style.

After study with George Grosz and Reginald Marsh at the Art Students League, Knight labored as a ship painter while serving in the navy from 1944 to 1946. Returning to New York, he studied architectural drafting (at Delahanty Institute), interior design and theatre design, working for one summer as an assistant designer at an Ogunquit, Maine theater. He painted murals in private homes and entered the field of magazine illustration, starting with Mademoiselle in 1952, followed by House & Garden, Gourmet, McCalls and Woman's Home Companion. His work as a humorous illustrator was strongly influenced by the British cartoonist Ronald Searle.

REFERENCES

Barnes & Noble: Meet the Writers series

Eloise site: Hilary Knight

Hilary Knight official site

Salon: "Will the real Eloise please stand up?" by Amy Benfer (June 1, 1999)