John F. Knott

{{Short description|Austro-Hungarian and American cartoonist}} {{for|the British scientist|John Knott (scientist)}} {{Infobox artist | honorific_prefix = | name =John F. Knott | image = John F. Knott.jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = | birth_date ={{Birth date|1878|12|07}} | birth_place = Plzeň, Austria-Hungary | death_date = {{Death date and age|1963|02|16|1878|12|07}} | death_place = | nationality = | education = | alma_mater = | known_for = Cartooning | notable_works = | style = | movement = | spouse = | awards =  | elected = | patrons = | memorials = | website =  | module =

}}

'''John Francis Knott''' (December 7, 1878 – February 16, 1963) was an Austro-Hungarian and American cartoonist. He was born in Plzeň, Austria-Hungary, and emigrated to Sioux City, Iowa with his widowed mother at the age of five.<ref name=TSHA>{{cite web|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fkn05|title=John Francis Knott|publisher=Texas State Historical Association}}</ref>

Knott started working at ''The Dallas Morning News'' in 1905. He drew daily cartoons in the paper during Woodrow Wilson's first presidential campaign and World War I.<ref name=TSHA /> His works used to be marked with his distinct, signature style of incisive humor through simple and effective portrayal of Texan life.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-10-24|title=Drawing on history: John Knott's editorial cartoons for The Dallas Morning News|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/from-the-archives/2021/10/24/drawing-on-history-john-knotts-editorial-cartoons-for-the-dallas-morning-news/|access-date=2022-02-14|website=Dallas News|language=en}}</ref> Knott's most famous cartoon character "Old Man Texas" was a champion for government honesty, low taxes, and property ownership. It is believed his cartoons supporting American entry into World War I helped increase the sales of Liberty Bonds and donations towards the war effort.<ref name=TSHA />

Knott's cartoons were reprinted in several publications including ''The Literary Digest'', ''Review of Reviews'', ''The Wall Street Journal'', ''Los Angeles Times'',<ref name=TSHA /> ''New York Evening Post'', the ''New York Herald Tribune'', the ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'', and the ''Philadelphia Public Ledger''.<ref name="John Knott">{{cite web|last=Knott|first=John Frances |title=The Handbook of Texas Online |url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fkn05|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|accessdate=29 December 2012}}</ref>

==Personal information== thumb|''It Shoots Further Than He Dreams'' by John F. Knott. War cartoon depicting the Kaiser shooting a canon labeled "Militarism." First published on March 26, 1918. Knott was born in Pilsen, Bohemia, to his father Francis Joseph and mother, Anna Knott. At 5 years of age, he and his widowed mother moved to Sioux City, Iowa. When Knott was only 16, he published his first drawing for the Sioux City Journal. After much persuasion, he talked his mother into letting him go to Chicago, Illinois. He was hoping to become a staff cartoonist with a newspaper but instead accepted to work as a cub draftsman for an architect. While working, he also took night classes at the Holmes School of Illustration.<ref name="John Knott" />

In 1901, Knott took up a job offer from a Sioux City engraver. He spent his first four years in Dallas, Texas illustrating harness and saddlery catalogs for White Engraving Company. He later met D. Prescott Toomey, an artist and the managing editor of the Dallas Morning News. Toomey later offered Knott work as a full-time artist for the newspaper. Knott started his career with the News on December 1, 1905, where he would perform artistic duties and general illustration. Knott was losing hope for his talent to be recognized in Dallas. On January 1, 1906, he signed his first piece of artwork. Several years later, after realizing he needed more training and practice, Knott and his family moved to Munich, Germany. There he spent three semesters at the Royal Academy of Art and spent all of his money. He later accepted the job opportunity that the News offered him. In November 1911, Knott's work started to appear on the front page of the news. During Woodrow Wilson's first presidential campaign and World War I, Knott began drawing daily cartoons and attracted national and international attention. In 1957, Knott retired from the News. During his fifty-year career as a cartoonist, he created more than 15,000 cartoons. Knott taught painting in Dallas public schools for almost twenty years.<ref name="John Knott" />

Knott was a member of the Philosophical Society of Texas and the Texas State Historical Association.<ref name="John Knott" />

On February 22, 1907, Knott married Carrie Louise Bowen, and together they had four children.<ref name="John Knott" /> Knott died in Dallas on February 16, 1963.<ref name="John Knott" />

==Awards== *Honorary degree by Baylor University (1920) *National Headliners' Club Award (1939) *National Safety Council citation (1941) *The State Department (1950) *Society of Professional Journalists recognized him as best cartoonist (1951)<ref name="John Knott" />

==Books== * ''[https://archive.org/details/warcartoons00knot War Cartoons]'' (1918)

==References== {{reflist}} *{{cite book|last1=Darden|first1=Robert F.|title=Drawing Power: Knott, Ficklen, and McClanahan, Editorial Cartoonists of the Dallas Morning News|date=1983|publisher=Markham Press Fund|location=Waco, Texas|isbn=0918954371}}

==External links== {{Commons category}} * [http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/utcah/02261/cah-02261.html Guide to the John F. Knott Cartoon Scrapbook] at Dolph Briscoe Center for American History * [https://www.loc.gov/search/?fa=contributor%3Aknott%2C+john+francis Works by John F. Knott] at the Library of Congress

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knott, John F.}} Category:1878 births Category:1963 deaths Category:Artists from Plzeň Category:American editorial cartoonists Category:Artists from Texas Category:Emigrants from Austria-Hungary to the United States Category:The Dallas Morning News people Category:Political cartoonists of World War I