But again, just because some art shows elves looking that way, it doesn't actually mean that's how all elves are.
The very first example from the AD&D Player's Handbook (way back in the late 1970s) ->
The Elf is significantly shorter and slimmer than the Human; the Elf features pointed ears and almond eyes (they're not blatant, but they are there).
Bottom line: you can point to pieces which were comparatively lazier attempts (e.g., Elves as Humans or Drow as African-Americans/standard old men) and I'll agree that they exist, but to argue that there wasn't a collective baseline representation over the years of Elves that looked properly otherworldly/sylvan is disingenuous.