Born in Long Eaton, Derbyshire. Knight studied at the Nottingham School of Art.

Knight designed theatre costumes for Stratford and London productions. She also designed ballet costumes for Stanislas Idjikowski.

Laura Knight designed some chocolate wrappers and a box for Cadbury’s. Many of the characters in The Grand Parade; Charivari prefigure those on Knight's chocolate box. The trumpeting elephants and little jacketed dogs leaping to perform tricks with a ball, the balancing acrobats and clowns striking poses all have counterparts in the Cadbury's design.

Knight painted backstage at the Diaghilev ballet’s sessions in London and took lessons at Tillers dance academy in St Martin’s Lane in order to draw there.

Dame Laura Knight was the only women to be given War Commissions during the two World Wars. Knight was commissioned by the War Artists’ Advisory Committee to produce paintings as war records.