An Affair with Beauty

During the first half of the twentieth century, an elite brotherhood of New York artists dominated the publishing world. They achieved a success equal to modern day rock stars as their illustrations appeared in best-selling novels, top-ranked newspapers, and popular magazines. Howard Chandler Christy eclipsed them all with his “Christy Girl”—the epitome of the beautiful woman—transforming Christy into a household name and the most celebrated artist in America during the Jazz Age. Scores of women lined up at his studio, seeking the fame of being a Christy Girl but also wanting something much greater—immortality. An Affair with Beauty – The Mystique of Howard Chandler Christy is a brilliantly written interpretative biography, most of it seen through the eyes of Christy’s favorite model, muse, and second wife, Nancy. While Christy never gave up his quest for true beauty or painting the Christy Girl, he became the gifted portraitist to some of the most powerful and famous people of the day, including presidents, princes, movie stars, congressmen, industrialists, and living legends. In Romantic Illusions -- the second book in the An Affair with Beauty trilogy -- Nancy's story continues as she recalls spending Christmas 1912 at the "Barracks,” Howard's Ohio mansion. There, she learns of Howard's impoverished years as an art student and his rise to fame painting the bravery of Teddy Roosevelt and his "Rough Riders" during the Spanish-American War. While romance blossoms between the artist and his beautiful model, Howard is slow to seek a divorce from his estranged wife, Maebelle, jeopardizing Nancy's desires and prompting her to uncover his scandalous past. When World War I breaks out, Howard plans to return to New York City, compelling Nancy to risk everything as she reveals her true feelings for him.