In 1979, a 20-year-old aspiring dancer took a job as a nude model at a photography class in New York. She was relatively new to the city, working as a waitress, and still a few years away from the career that would turn her into the international superstar known as Madonna. The pictures from that class have been unearthed decades later. They show the young woman, confident and beautiful, even before her fame.

Martin Schreiber/Barcroft Media

Martin Schreiber/Barcroft Media

Martin Schreiber/Barcroft Media

Martin Schreiber

Martin Schreiber/Barcroft Media

Elizabeth Griffin Strategic Visual Content Editor for Hearst Digital Media, Photo Editor of Esquire.com, and staff photographer at Hearst.

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