Clayton Knight studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago under such notable American artists as Robert Henri and Geroge Bellows and later taught there. Considered the premiere aviation illustrator of the 1910s and 1920, Knight had been an aviator during World War I. He was also a book and advertising illustrator and muralist. Knight created large-scale aviation murals for the Gotham Hotel in New York and the Blackstone Hotel in Chicago. He also contributed stage sets and costumes to at least one Broadway production.
