We’ve Never Seen The REAL Women Behind Iconic Pin-Up Paintings Of The 50s…Until Now

Gil Elvgren is a painter known for the pin-up images he made in the 1950s. The iconic creations feature impossibly curvy ladies in silly situations, and until now, only the paintings have been seen. Nerve.com has now released the photographs upon which Elvgren based his paintings, and the similarities (and differences!) between them are really fun to see.

Elvgren’s paintings take the photograph as his inspiration, but alter the image to make a cartoonish effect.

Elvgren's paintings take the photograph as his inspiration, but alter the image to make a cartoonish effect.

It’s interesting to see that the way Elvgren alters his models’ bodies is similar to the way that photos are altered now with Photoshop.

It's interesting to see that the way Elvgren alters his models' bodies is similar to the way that photos are altered now with Photoshop.

The bright colors and voluptuous curves combine to make the iconic images that so perfected captured a moment in art.

The bright colors and voluptuous curves combine to make the iconic images that so perfected captured a moment in art.

No matter the decade or the tools available, it’s clear that the media has been making an exaggerated figure to catch your eye.

No matter the decade or the tools available, it's clear that the media has been making an exaggerated figure to catch your eye.

The bizarre scenarios and silly expressions look all the more entertaining when you see them enacted by a real person.

The bizarre scenarios and silly expressions look all the more entertaining when you see them enacted by a real person.

Many of the images Elvgren created were used in advertisements and calendars by the company Brown & Bigelow.

Many of the images Elvgren created were used in advertisements and calendars by the company Brown & Bigelow.

These pin-ups defined an era in art, and seeing the women behind them makes them all the more beautiful.

These pin-ups defined an era in art, and seeing the women behind them makes them all the more beautiful.

Who knew that so many everyday activities could be so conducive to leg-showing?

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