Ernest Knaufft

author

Ernest Knaufft

1864–1942

A longtime art teacher, editor, and critic, this early American writer helped make drawing and design more accessible to students and working artists. His books and articles reflect a practical eye for craftsmanship and a deep interest in how art is taught.

1 Audiobook

Drawing for Printers. A practical treatise on the art of designing and illustrating in connection with typography. Containing complete instruction, fully illustrated, concerning the art of drawing, for the beginner as well as the more advanced student.

Drawing for Printers. A practical treatise on the art of designing and illustrating in connection with typography. Containing complete instruction, fully illustrated, concerning the art of drawing, for the beginner as well as the more advanced student.

by Ernest Knaufft

About the author

Born in New Jersey in 1864, Ernest Knaufft built a career that mixed art, teaching, and writing. He studied in New York and later worked as an assistant in graphic and freehand drawing at Princeton University. He also became closely associated with the Chautauqua Society of Fine Arts, where he helped bring art instruction to a wider public.

Knaufft is best remembered as the author of Drawing for Printers and Bookbinding: Past and Present, works that show his interest in both the creative and technical sides of visual culture. He also edited The Art Student and wrote as an art critic, combining hands-on knowledge with a clear, useful style.

He died in 1942, but his work still offers a window into a period when illustration, printing, and art education were rapidly growing fields in the United States. For listeners interested in practical arts writing and the history of design, his books carry the voice of someone who spent his life helping others see and make things more clearly.