American photographer Slim Aarons captured the 20th century’s international jet set — U.S. socialites, European royalty, Hollywood stars — at play in sun-kissed locales like Monaco, Saint-Tropez and Palm Beach, as well as other luxurious settings around the globe.
Committed to eschewing makeup and artificial lighting, Aarons created images that are at once candid and polished, combining the relaxed posture of his subjects, who trusted him to document their lives, with the visual sharpness of a seasoned art director. Having gotten his start taking pictures for the U.S. military magazine Yank during World War II, he contributed over the course of his career to Life, Town and Country and Holiday magazines and published several books.
Aarons was born in Manhattan in 1916. He joined the army at 18, shooting military maneuvers at West Point before serving as a combat photographer, for which he was awarded a Purple Heart. After the war, he moved to California and began snapping socialites and movie stars.
In the 1950s, Aarons opened a bureau for Life magazine in Rome, where he took pictures capturing the postwar scene. He was always able to win the trust of his elite subjects, who saw him as close to a peer, rather than a paparazzo.
In a 2002 interview with The Independent, Aarons remarked, ''I knew everyone. They would invite me to one of their parties because they knew I wouldn't hurt them. I was one of them.'' This access allowed him to document the rich and famous with their guard down, reading newspapers and magazines, talking on the phone, relaxing by the pool, and chatting with friends. The 1957 photograph The Kings of Hollywood, for example, which won him wide acclaim, shows Clark Gable, Van Heflin, Gary Cooper and Jimmy Stewart laughing together as they celebrate New Year’s Eve.
Many of Aarons’s best-known images involve games and sports. In the 1972 Poolside Backgammon, two young women play the board game of the title against the backdrop of a majestic Acapulco estate. In 1958’s Cannes Watersports, a couple attempts to glide across the Golfe de la Napoule on Jet Skis, one expertly and one hanging on for dear life. And in Penthouse Pool, shot in Athens in 1961, a young woman wearing a yellow bathing cap smiles coyly at the camera, surrounded by friends and brightly colored seat cushions, with the Acropolis faintly visible in the background.
Among Aarons’s books are 1974’s A Wonderful Time: An Intimate Portrait of the Good Life, and its 2003 sequel, Once Upon a Time. His final book, A Place in the Sun, was published in 2005, one year before his death.
Find a collection of vintage Slim Aarons photography on 1stDibs.
Sunbathing in Venice, 1954 - Venetian Nude Sunbathing in Vintage Italian Fashion
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Sunbathing in Venice, 1954 - Venetian Sunbathing in Vintage Italian Fashion by Slim Aarons 16 x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped C-Print. Edition of 150. Printed Later. A...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Digital
Skiers Relaxing at Cortina d'Ampezzo, 1982
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Skiers relax in deckchairs by the ski slopes at Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, 1982. Cortina d'Ampezzo 1982 C print (Printed later) Estate signature stamped and hand numbered edition of...
Lambda
$1,800
Cortina d'Ampezzo, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This mid-1980s photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features people snowboarding in Cortina d'Ampezzo. This is an estate-stamped and hand-numbered edition of 15...
Lambda
Sunbathing in Capri, 1974 - Sunbathers on French Island of Capri Summer Bronzing
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Sunbathing in Capri, 1974 - Sunbathers on French Island of Capri Summer Bronzing by Slim Aarons 16 x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print. Edition of 150. Printed Later. ...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Digital
$3,600
Slim Aarons "Beverly Hills Hotel" Unframed Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Beverly Hills Hotel Cars parked outside the Beverly Hills Hotel on Sunset Boulevard in California, 1957. (Photo by Slim Aarons) Unframed (Premium Collection) Limited Edition Estat...
Archival Pigment
Alice Topping (1959) Limited Estate Stamped
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Alice Topping (1959) Limited Estate Stamped (Photo By Slim Aarons) Socialite Alice Topping by a swimming pool in Palm Beach, Florida, 1959. Additional Information: Unframed ...
Color, Archival Pigment
Cortina d'Ampezzo Fashion
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Isa Genolini and Maria Antonia in the main street of Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, March 1982. Cortina d'Ampezzo Fashion 1972 c print Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 wi...
Lambda
$1,440Sale Price|20% Off
Dining In Gstaad, Switzerland, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This early 1960s landscape photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features holidaymakers at a ski lodge at Gstaad, Switzerland, March 1961. This is an estate stam...
Lambda
Westin Excelsior, Lido in Venice, 1957 - Venetian Gondolas in Canals in Italy
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Westin Excelsior, Lido in Venice, 1957 - Venetian Gondolas in Canals in Italy by Slim Aarons 16 x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print. Edition of 150. Printed Later. We...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Digital
$1,440Sale Price|20% Off
Signpost In St. Moritz, Switzerland, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photo
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This early 1960s landscape photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features a signpost indicating various ski slopes and toboggan tracks in the resort of St Moritz,...
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Backstage At La Scala (1948) Limited Estate Stamped
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Backstage At La Scala (1948) Limited Estate Stamped (Photo By Slim Aarons) A chorus girl reads a movie magazine in a dressing room at La Scala opera house, Milan, November 1948....
Black and White, Archival Pigment
Snowmass Village, Colorado, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This late 1960s photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features women in colourful hats at an apres ski party in Snowmass Village, in Pitkin County, Colorado, in M...
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Speedboat Landing Slim Aarons Limited Estate Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Speedboat Landing A Magnum motorboat belonging to Count Filippo Theodoli arrives at the private jetty of the Il Pellicano Hotel in Porto Ercole, Italy, August 1973. Gorgeous print ...
Color, Archival Pigment
Winter Wear, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This late-1970s photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features Manuela Boraomanero (left) and Emanuela Beghelli holiday in the Italian ski resort of Cortina d'Amp...
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Slim Aarons 'Heliskiing in Gstaad
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
A helicopter arrives at a mountaintop resort in Gstaad, 1961. Heliskiing in Gstaad 1961 C print Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity fro...
Archival Pigment
Beach at St. Tropez - Topless Sunbathing South of France French Riviera Beaches
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Beach at St. Tropez - Topless Sunbathing South of France French Riviera Beaches by Slim Aarons 16 x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print. Edition of 150. Printed Later. ...
Photographic Paper, Color, C Print, Digital
Lounging In Gstaad, Switzerland, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This early 1960s photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features holidaymakers in sun loungers on the slopes at at Gstaad, Switzerland, March 1961. This is an est...
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Sunbathing In Capri, Estate Edition, Portrait Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This late 1970s portrait photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features sunbathers by a swimming pool at the Hotel Punta Tragara on the island of Capri, Italy, Au...
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Von Pantz Pool, 1985 - Nude Swimmer Portrait Laura Hawk Swimming Pool Water
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Von Pantz Pool, 1985 - Nude Swimmer Portrait Laura Hawk Swimming Pool Water by Slim Aarons 16 x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped C-Print. Edition of 150. Printed Later. Vo...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Digital
Catch Up by the Pool, 1970 - Poolside Conversation, Kaufmann House Palm Springs
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Catch Up by the Pool, 1970 - Poolside Conversation, Kaufmann House Palm Springs by Slim Aarons 16 x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print. Edition of 150. Printed Later. ...
Photographic Paper, Color, C Print, Digital
$1,800
Conca dei Marini, Italy, Estate Edition, Landscape Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This mid-1980s landscape photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features a busy bay in Conca dei Marini, on the Amalfi coast in Italy, August 1984. This is an est...
Lambda
$4,200
Slim Aarons 'Unghia Marina' 1989 Official Limited Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
'Unghia Marina' A group of people stand on a terrace, at the Unghia Marina on the island of Capri, Italy, in September 1989. Trees dot the side of the marina while a flagpole rises...
Archival Pigment
New England Skiing 1955 - Slim Aarons Estate Stamped
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
New England Skiing 1955 - Slim Aarons Estate Stamped Two women recline on improvised sunbeds in New Hampshire, 1955 48 x 72" inches / 122 x 183 cm paper size Estate Stamped Colle...
Silver Gelatin
Zermatt Skiing, 1968
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Skiers in Zermatt, Switzerland, March 1968. Slim Aarons Zermatt Skiing 1968 C print (Printed later) Estate signature stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of au...
C Print
Sunbathing On Capri - Slim Aarons - 20th century colour photography Oversize
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
'Sunbathing On Capri' by Slim Aarons Huge Oversize 72 x 48 inches / 183 x 122 cm paper size Catherine Wilke joins the topless sunbathers - along with Elisabetta Catalano, Charlotte...
C Print
Slim Aarons Limited Estate Edition Dining Al Fresco On Capri
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Slim Aarons Limited Estate Edition Dining Al Fresco On Capri Italian artist and actress Domiziana Giordano, Italian author Francesca Sanvitale (1928 - 2011), Dino Trappetti and Umbe...
Archival Pigment
Cortina D'Ampezzo, Ski Lift, 1960
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
A skier using the ski lifts at Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy, 1962. Cortina D'Ampezzo 1962 C print (Printed later) Estate signature stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certifi...
C Print
Skiing Waiters, 1955
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Three skiing waiters on a ski slope, with the man in the foreground carrying a bird on a tray, the second man carring a wine in an ice bucket and the third carrying a menu, Stowe, Ve...
Lambda
Cafe Terrace In Nice Slim Aarons Estate Stamped Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Cafe Terrace In Nice 1957 by Slim Aarons Slim Aarons Limited Estate Edition Holidaymakers on a cafe terrace in Nice on the French Riviera, 1957. unfra...
Archival Pigment
'George Hamilton' 1977 Slim Aarons Limited Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
'George Hamilton' American actor George Hamilton holidays in Saint-Tropez, on the French Riviera, August 1977. Paper Size 24x20 inches / 60 x 50 cm Estate Stamped Collection E...
Color, Archival Pigment
Sunbathing in Capri, Catherine Wilke, 1980
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Sunbathing in Capri, Catherine Wilke 1980 Chromogenic Lambda print Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity from the estate. Catherine Wilke...
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Dixieland (1948) Limited Estate Stamped - Giant
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Dixieland (1948) Limited Estate Stamped (Photo By Slim Aarons) An impromptu concert in Rome with American Jazz trumpeter and singer Louis Armstrong (1901 – 1971), Earl ‘Fatha’ Hines (1905 – 1983) on piano and Jack Teagarden (1905 – 1964) on trombone playing with the ‘Rhythm Kings’. Hines and Teargarden play in Armstrong’s ‘All-Stars’ band. November 1948 About this Image: Louis Daniel Armstrong, nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter, composer, vocalist, and actor who was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades, from the 1920s to the 1960s, and different eras in the history of jazz. Earl Kenneth Hines, also known as Earl "Fatha" Hines, was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. He was one of the most influential figures in the development of jazz piano...
Black and White, Archival Pigment
Slim Aarons Estate Edition - Palm Beach Idyll
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Palm Beach Idyll A couple sunbathe by the sea at Palm Beach Florida 1955 USA Gorgeous print measuring 30 x 30" inches / ca 76 x 76 cm’s paper size. Estate Stamped Collection Edi...
Archival Pigment
'Dinner Jazz' 1949 Slim Aarons Limited Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
'Dinner Jazz' 1949: American Jazz trumpeter and singer Louis Armstrong (1898 – 1971) enjoys a plate of spaghetti in Rome. 30x30 inches / 76 x 76 cm paper size Estate Stamped Co...
Silver Gelatin, Black and White
Minnie and Dru Montagu - Couple Poses for Photograph on Sandy Beach under Palms
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Minnie and Dru Montagu - Couple Poses for Photograph on Sandy Beach under Palms by Slim Aarons 16" x 16" print on 16" x 20" paper. Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print. Edition of 1...
Photographic Paper, Color, C Print, Digital
Ships that pass, 1969 - Ocean Photography Ketch Yacht Sailboats America
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Ships that pass, 1969 - Ocean Photography Ketch Yacht Sailboats America by Slim Aarons 16 x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped C-Print. Edition of 150. Printed Later. Ships ...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Digital
Eden-Roc Pool, 1976
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Guests by the pool at the Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc, Antibes, France, August 1976. Eden-Roc Pool 1976 C-Print Estate signature stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate ...
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Monocled Miss (1964) Limited Estate Stamped - Giant
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Monocled Miss (1964) Limited Estate Stamped (Photo By Slim Aarons) Renata Boeck enjoying breakfast in bed at the Regency Hotel, New York, 1964. Add...
Color, Archival Pigment
$1,800
Poolside Scenery, Palm Springs, Estate Edition, Portrait Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This 1970 portrait photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features Nelda Linsk (left, in yellow), wife of art dealer Joseph Linsk with guests by the pool at the Li...
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Fan Mail, 1950 - Marilyn Monroe Silk Lace Gown The Asphalt Jungle Fan Mail
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Fan Mail, 1950 - Marilyn Monroe Silk Lace Gown The Asphalt Jungle Fan Mail by Slim Aarons 16 x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print. Edition of 150. Printed Later. Pleas...
Photographic Paper, Color, C Print, Digital
$1,800
Snowmass Picnic, Colorado, Estate Edition, Portrait Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Snowmass Picnic, Colorado, Estate Edition, Portrait Photograph This late 1960s winter landscape photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features a stand-up fondue...
Lambda
Dali And Gala (1955) Limited Estate Stamped
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Dali And Gala (1955) Limited Estate Stamped (Photo By Slim Aarons) Spanish artist Salvador Dali (1904 – 1989) enjoying a cup of coffee with his wife Gala (1894 – 1982) on a terra...
Black and White, Archival Pigment
Hotel De La Poste, Cortina d'Ampezzo, 1976
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Guests outside the Hotel de la Poste in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, 1976. Hotel de la Poste 1976 C print (Printed later) Estate signature stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with...
C Print
Slim Aarons 'Social Call' (Slim Aarons Estate Edition)
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
1972—Charley Weaver at the Las Brisas resort in Acapulco, Mexico. Social Call 30 x 40 inches Estate Edition Slim Aarons Estate Edition Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons Estate...
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Snorkelling In The Shallows, Malta, Estate Edition, Aerial Waterscape Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This late 1950s aerial landscape photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features a group of people snorkelling off a small boat in Malta. This is an estate stampe...
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Abaco Islander 1986 Slim Aarons Estate Stamped Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Abaco Islander, 1986 Author Chester Thompson at work in his coconut grove on the Abaco Islands of the Bahamas, March 1986. His ancester Wyannie Malone settled on the islands in 178...
Archival Pigment
Pool at Lake Tahoe - Sierra Nevada Pine Trees American Landscape Photography
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Pool at Lake Tahoe - Sierra Nevada Pine Trees American Landscape Photography by Slim Aarons 16" x 16" print on 16" x 20" paper. Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print. Edition of 150....
Photographic Paper, Color, C Print, Digital
Cortina d'Ampezzo (Estate Edition)
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Cortina d'Ampezzo, 1982 Chromogenic Lambda Print Estate edition of 150 A rest from skiing at Cortina d'Ampezzo, March 1982. Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with cer...
Lambda
Winter Wear, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This late-1970s photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features Manuela Boraomanero (left) and Emanuela Beghelli holiday in the Italian ski resort of Cortina d'Amp...
Lambda
A Skier in Vermont 1962 - Slim Aarons Estate Stamped
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
A Skier in Vermont 1962 - Slim Aarons Estate Stamped A skier at the Stowe Mountain Resort, Vermont, USA, March 1962 60 x 40" inches / 127 x 101 cm paper size Estate Stamped Colle...
Archival Pigment
Slim Aarons 'Tiziana in Positano'
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Tiziana Audino 1984 (printed later) Chromogenic Lambda Print Estate edition of 150 A topless Tiziana Audino enjoys a shower at the Hotel San Pietro in Positano, 1984. Estate stamp...
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Catch Up By the Pool Estate Edition, Modernist Architecture, Palm Springs
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Palm Springs, 1970: This coveted photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features midcentury socialites in front of the turquoise swimming pool of the iconic Kaufma...
Lambda
$3,900
Skiing In St. Moritz, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This early 1980s photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features Countess Jan Bonde in the Palace Hotel sleigh on Lake St. Moritz, Switzerland. This is an estate ...
Lambda
$4,200
Slim Aarons, 'Faraglioni Rocks' Midcentury Modern Photography
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Faraglioni Rocks on the Italian island of Capri, August 1974. Slim Aarons Faraglioni Rocks 1974. (printed later) C print Estate stamped and numbered edition of 150 with Certificat...
C Print
'Keep Your Cool' 1978 Slim Aarons Limited Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
'Keep Your Cool' Slim Aarons Limited Estate Edition Carmen Alvarez enjoying a game of backgammon with Frank 'Brandy' Brandstetter in a swimming pool at Acapulco, 1978. Fashionable Alvarez wearing a white bikini and 'Brandy' sporting a sun hat are seated in the swimming pool playing backgammon in the heat of the Mexican sun. Typically 'Slim Poolside...
C Print
$1,800
Cortina d'Ampezzo, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This early-1980s photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features tourists resting from skiing at Cortina d'Ampezzo. This is an estate-stamped and hand-numbered ed...
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Slim Aarons 'Bahamas Speed Week' 1963 Official Limited Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
'Bahamas Speed Week' The Bahamas Speed Week in Nassau, 1963. 40 x 30" inches / 101 x 76 cm paper size Estate Stamped Collection Edition to 15...
Archival Pigment
Fan Mail, Beverly Hills, Estate Edition, Portrait Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This early 1950s portrait photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features Marilyn Monroe (1926 - 1962), wearing a red negligee trimmed with black lace, sorts out h...
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Skiing At St. Moritz, Switzerland, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This late 1970s landscape photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features skiers on a slope in St Moritz, Switzerland, March 1978. This is an estate stamped and h...
Lambda
$2,400
Slim Aarons "Speedboat Landing" Unframed Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Speedboat Landing August 1973:A Magnum motorboat belonging to Count Filippo Theodoli arrives at the private jetty of the Il Pellicano Hotel in Porto Ercole, Italy. (Photo by Slim A...
Archival Pigment