Museum of the City of New York
1220 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10029
212/534-1672
In 1996, an Eloise exhibit was unveiled at the Museum of the City of New York.
In the lower left of the exhibit is a placard with the following:
With the lines:
| "I am Eloise I am six I am a city child I live at the Plaza" |
author Kay Thompson introduced a precocious imp whose exploits in the hallways and reception rooms of the elegant Plaza Hotel at Central Park South and Fifty-ninth street, have delighted readers and listeners for more than forty years. Artist Hilary Knight’s drawing for the 1955 book, Eloise, were equally engaging. The collaborative effort led to enduring success for the book and its character.
In 1996, at the request of the Museum of the City of New York, Mr. Knight created this eight-by-six foot handpainted screen – like a life-size page from the original book – of Eloise’s room at the Plaza Hotel. The three-dimensional Eloise, in the form of a chair, was handpainted by Mr. Knight. Those familiar with the story recognize Eloise’s doll Saylor, her dog Weenie, her turtle Skipperdee, and the pigeon from the Sherry-Netherland who sits on the windowsill. An ice-cream sundae, served on Plaza Hotel china has just been delivered from room service. A cloth doll, made by the Hol-le Toy Company, New York, in 1957, portrays Eloise wearing her distinctive costume of white blouse and navy blue pleated skirt.
