Earl S. Moran was a well-known 'pin-up' artist of the 1940s-1960s, specialising in portraits of young women, in pastel or oil, which he derived from the photographs he took of his subjects. These portraits were used to illustrate men's magazines and calendars. Working in Los Angeles, where there was no shortage of up-and-coming starlets in need of work, Moran came across a young would-be actress called Norma Jeane Dougherty who had been sent to his studio on Sunset Strip in February, 1946 by the Blue Book Model Agency. Moran's association with Norma Jeane lasted until 1950 when, as a more established actress, Marilyn Monore [she changed her name in December 1946 a few months after signing to 20th Century Fox], she no longer needed to undertake such modelling work.