Jolie appears on the cover of the W's November issue in a sleeveless top, which has been opened to reveal part of her left breast and a tiny hand ostensibly belonging to one of her twins, Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline, who were born in July.

The black-and-white photo shows Jolie smiling, her long brown hair cascading over her shoulder. The cover headline promises exclusive 'private photos' of the 33-year-old actress by her partner, actor Brad Pitt.

Jolie last caused a stir when she wore a white nursing bra underneath her tank top on the cover of People magazine after she and Pitt welcomed daughter Shiloh, now 2 years old.

Another breast-feeding cover that got people talking was in the summer of 2006, when Babytalk magazine published a photo of a baby and part of a woman's breast in profile. The magazine conducted a poll of more than 4,000 readers; a quarter of responses were negative, finding the photo inappropriate.

La Leche League International, the world's oldest breast-feeding support organisation, applauds Jolie's apparent decision to be photographed nursing.

'Breast-feeding in public reveals a whole lot less than what has been revealed on the red carpet. ... I think we do need more role models like Angelina Jolie willing to be photographed and say, 'Hey look, it can be done, it oughta be done,'' said La Leche spokeswoman Jane Crouse.

Besides Shiloh and the twins, Pitt and Jolie also are parents to three adopted children: Maddox, 7, from Cambodia; Pax, 4, from Vietnam; Zahara, 3, from Ethiopia.

Exclusive photos of the Jolie-Pitt clan have fetched millions of dollars. Last summer, People magazine and the British tabloid Hello! paid US$14 million (S$21 million) in a joint deal to publish the first shots of the family with newborn Knox and Vivienne. Jolie and Pitt allowed such access in exchange for a donation to charity.

Jolie, who won a supporting actress Academy Award for 1999's Girl, Interrupted, has drawn Oscar buzz for Clint Eastwood's missing-child drama Changeling, slated for release Oct 24.

Pitt portrays a fitness club dimwit in Joel and Ethan Coen's recent comedy Burn After Reading, co-starring George Clooney, John Malkovich and Frances McDormand. -- AP