The lovely artist’s model Betty Lester appears in this early pastel by Rolf Armstrong that served as the cover for the January 1916 issue of American Magazine. While Armstrong is best known today as “The Father of America Pin-up,” he created hundreds of covers for American magazines with titles as diverse as Photoplay, College Humor, The Saturday Evening Post, and American Magazine. Armstrong especially excelled at pastel portraiture–he was able to capture the feminine qualities of the sitter in a deeply revealing and intimate manner. Consequently his cover portraiture was much in demand and newsstands in the 1920s and 30s would be graced with frequent appearances of the always glamorous and fashionable “Armstrong Girl.” Work is beautifully matted and framed and lined behind glass.