Though Eloise remains an enduring figure in pop culture, the series’ initial run was short-lived, ending in 1959 with Eloise in Moscow. Collection of Hilary Knight, © Kay Thompson. Hilary Knight, final illustration for I always stay at the National whenever I am in Moscow (1959) for Eloise in Moscow, Simon & Schuster (1959). Walter Cronkite broke the story of the “kidnapping” on CBS Evening News, but the highly publicized theft went unsolved for two years, until an anonymous caller tipped Knight off that the painting was in the trash on 84th Street. The painting hung at the Plaza for four years, until it was stolen in 1960. In 1956, knowing that Thompson was about to be interviewed on TV about Eloise, Knight quickly painted the piece and gave it to her as a birthday gift. Notably, the show marks the first public appearance in 57 years of the original Eloise painting that hung in the Plaza Hotel. Piggle-Wiggle. There’s also a copy of his unpublished children’s book with Truman Capote, Can a Pig Fly? On Thompson’s side, there are photos from her memorable turn opposite Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire in Funny Face, and a recording of her “Eloise” theme song, a Top 40 hit in 1956. A recreation of Eloise’s bedroom features bookshelves full of Knight’s later publications, including Mrs.
Thompson’s handwritten manuscript is there, along with early character sketches by Knight. Hilary Knight, Unused cover sketch (1954) for Eloise, Simon & Schuster (1955).
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