Early Life and Education Dame Laura Knight (1877-1970) was born Laura Johnson on August 4, 1877, in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, England, the youngest of three daughters. Her father, Charles Johnson, abandoned the family shortly after her birth, leaving her mother, Charlotte Johnson, to raise them amidst financial hardship. Knight's grandfather owned a lace-making factory that went bankrupt due to technological advancements, impacting the family’s stability. In 1889, she was sent to northern France with relatives involved in the lace-making business but had to return after their bankruptc…