Knight, Hilary

Hilary Knight was born November 1, 1926 in Hempstead, Long Island . His mother, Katherine Sturges, was a successful commercial and fashion illustrator, known for her graceful Oriental-style artwork. His father, Clayton Knight, was a popular aviation book illustrator. Both parents were extremely influential in Mr. Knight’s decision to pursue a career in illustration, and his mother’s love of traditional Asian art is often exhibited in Mr. Knight’s own artwork. At the age of sixteen, he enrolled in the Art Students League in New York City to study art. While there, he gained a reputation as a high-spirited, somewhat mischievous student. In 1944, at the age of eighteen, Mr. Knight dropped out of school and joined the United States Navy, where he served as a ship painter for eighteen months during the height of the World War II . Following his time in the Navy, Mr. Knight worked short stints as a set designer and magazine illustrator, where he became known for his whimsical black line style of drawing. Mr. Knight began illustrating children’s books for the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle Series by Betty MacDonald in the 1940s, but a fateful meeting with singer Kay Thompson at the Plaza Hotel in New York really launched Mr. Knight’s career as a children’s book illustrator. Following the publication of Eloise in 1955, Mr. Knight went on to illustrate over fifty books and numerous magazine articles for children.

Mr. Knight’s illustrations are known for their whimsical energy, fresh color, and pixie-ish characters. His technique begins with “working sketches”, using cut-out sections of text glued to double-sided Strathmore boards, which then become the actual finished artwork. He uses a combination of watercolor, pencil and pen to make most of his illustrations.

From the guide to the Hilary Knight Papers, 1956-2001, (Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, University of Connecticut Libraries)

Hilary Knight was born November 1, 1926, in Hempstead, Long Island. Both of his parents were artists, and he himself developed an early and sustained interest in art. His greatest success as an illustrator came early in his career, when he illustrated Kay Thompson's Eloise and its sequels. He has done illustrations for many other authors, and has written and self-illustrated several of his own books for children.

Biographical Source: Something About the Author, vols. 15, 132

From the guide to the Hilary Knight Papers, 1975-1987, (University of Minnesota Libraries Children's Literature Research Collections [clrc])