John Augustus Knapp (painter and
illustrator) was born and raised in Newport, Kentucky. A contemporary of Frank
Duvenek and Henry Farney, he studied at the McMicken School of Design in
Cincinnati. Knapp went on to hold various positions as a designer and
lithographer at Russell Morgan Lithograph ( later to become U.S. Playing Card),
Strobridge Lithograph, Cincinnati Process Engraving, and Standard Publishing
where he illustrated books and magazines. At one time, Curtis Gates Lloyd,
youngest brother of John Uri Lloyd, also worked at Standard Publishing and while
there met Knapp. This meeting was the beginning of a long friendship, as well
as many a collaboration between Knapp and the Lloyds.
For a time, both Knapp and John Uri
Lloyd lived in Norwood. Their friendship grew into a partnership when Lloyd
hired Knapp to illustrate his first novel “Etidorhpa” published in 1895. He went on to
illustrate several other Lloyd novels. In the early 1900s, Knapp was
commissioned by Curtis Gates Lloyd to paint 40 watercolors of various fungi.
John Augustus Knapp also illustrated
“The Secret Teachings of All Ages”, authored by Manly P. Hall. First
published in 1928, this volume includes fifty-four stunning full-page color
plates by this noted artist, and two hundred black and white illustrations from
rare occult works and manuscripts. To this day it remains unrivaled in its
scope, synthesis and graphic beauty; a must for any serious student of mystical
philosophy.
In 1918, Knapp moved to Los Angeles,
California, where he continued working as a designer, illustrator and painter,
at one time employed by Thomas Ince Studios where he participated in the very
early days of the movie industry. He died in Los Angeles in 1938.
