Toting a history as lively as its inspiration, this portrait was painted as a birthday gift by Hilary Knight for Eloise co-creator Kay Thompson in 1956 on the eve of Kay's appearance on Edward R. Murrow's Person to Person on CBS.  Shortly thereafter, she loaned the work to the Plaza Hotel where it hung ceremoniously in the lobby as homage to the hotel's most famous yet imaginary resident.  However, on the night of a Junior League all at the Plaza, November 1960, the painting disappeared! Soon it was all over the news and Walter Cronkite confirmed it on the evening news.  The famed portrait of Eloise had been stolen.  Despite the press and the hubbub, the portrait failed to reappear.  Some years later, it was learned the famouse painting had been found in a dumpster, frameless.  Once identified as the missing artwork, it waas returned to Mr. Knight, who had already replaced the Plaza portrait with a new one .. an oil painting that still hangs there today.

Mr. Knight rolled up the original and put it in his closet, forgetting about it for the next 50 years! Eventually, it was revived for an Eloise exhibition at the New York Historical Society in 2017.  It was later offered at a Bonhams auction with an estimated value between $100,000-$150,000. On December 5, 2018, the famous portrait sold, at auction, for $100,000.00.  

Hilary Knight was born November 1, 1926 in Hempstead NY.  One of two sons of artist-writers Clayton Knight and Katharine Sturges Dodge.  His father illustrated aviation books and his mother was a fashion and book illustrator.

  

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

Hilary Knight

Illustration by Edmund Dulac

A Little Girl in a Book

Christabel 

He is an American writer and artist.  Knight is the illustrator of more than 50 books and the author of nine books though is best known as the illustrator and co-creator of Kay Thompson's Eloise and others in the Eloise book series. He has illustrated for a wide variety of clients creating artwork for magazines, childrens fashion advertisement, greeting cards, record albums and posters for Broadway musicals including Gypsy and No, No Nanette.

Knight's first published work appeared in Mademoiselle Magazine in 1952 followed by drawings in House and Garden, Good Housekeeping and Gourmet magazines though he will be most remembered and loved for his loveable Eloise illustrations.