An early pastel work of a modernist avant-garde dancer by a then young Rolf Armstrong, which was done in Paris as he studied at the Academie Julian his first year there in 1919. The work appears to have been exhibited and to have received a bronze prize as referenced in the inkstamp on the verso, it is also identified in the artist’s hand on the back which reads “Academie Julian, 1919, The work is signed and inscribed “For Jeanne, in the lower right corner, and has been handsomely framed and matted under glass in a period gold gilt antique frame. This early work certainly reveals the immense talent and natural ability of the prolific American illustrator, who in later years earned the title of “The Father Of American Pin-up”.

The artist moved to Chicago in 1908, where he later studied at the Art Institute. He then went on to New York, where he studied with Robert Henri.

After a trip to Paris in 1919 to study at the Académie Julian, he returned to New York and established a studio. In 1921 he went to Minneapolis to study calendar production at Brown & Bigelow.