Hilary Knight’s ‘birthday gift’ portrait of Kay Thompson’s Eloise – sold by Bonhams New York for $80,000 (£62,675).
Painted as a birthday gift, a portrait of one of the more popular characters in the annals of American children’s literature, Eloise, sold for $80,000 (£62,675) by Bonhams New York (25/20/12% buyer’s premium) on December 5.
The tempera on board portrait of Eloise was painted and inscribed in 1956 by Hilary Knight, who so memorably illustrated the books, and was a birthday gift for their author, Kay Thompson.