Artist and author Hilary Knight has illustrated more than 70 books, eight of which he wrote, and many Broadway musical posters, but he is most famous for his drawings of Eloise, that precocious 6-year-old who lived at the Plaza hotel with her nanny; her dog, Weenie; and her turtle, Skipperdee. Knight envisaged Eloise as a glorious mess: She combed her flotsam hair with a fork, and, best of all, she had full run of the Plaza to do whatever she pleased. Eloise sprang from the i

Hilary Knight. Painted for Kay Thompson 1956. Eloise. A tempera painting. From the collection of Hilary Knight. A selection of illustrator and writer Hilary Knight’s artwork, including the original portrait of Eloise, will be auctioned at Bonhams New York on Dec. 5. It’s estimated to fetch between US$100,000 and US$150,000. Depicting whimsical Eloise—one of the most influential children’s book characters—in black, white, and pink, the portrait was painted by Knight as a bi