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.
$4,200
Saint-Tropez, France, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This early-1970s photograph, taken by society photographer Slim Aarons, features two young women, one wearing a kaftan, stepping onto a yacht on the waterfront at Saint-Tropez, Franc...
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Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This late-1960s photograph, taken by society photographer Slim Aarons, features holidaymakers in a motorboat off the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes on the French Riviera. This is ...
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$1,800
Cannes Watersports, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This late-1950s photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features holidaymakers waterskiing from the pier of the Carlton Hotel, Cannes. This is an estate-stamped an...
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Sunbathing Antibes, 1976 - Hotel du Cap Eden Roc French Riviera Nude
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Sunbathing Antibes, 1976 - Hotel du Cap Eden Roc French Riviera Nude by Slim Aarons 16 x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped C-Print. Edition of 150. Printed Later. Sunbathin...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Digital
Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This mid-1970s photograph, taken by society photographer Slim Aarons, features guests standing by a white Rolls-Royce convertible courtesy car at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, Antibes, ...
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Palm Springs Riders, 1970 - Desert Landscapes in Southern California Hills
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Palm Springs Riders, 1970 - Desert Landscapes in Southern California Hills 16 x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print. Digital C-Type print. Edition of 150. Printed Later....
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Digital
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
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
Corsica Island Paradise, 1984, Slim Aarons Estate Limited Edition Print ED.150
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
August 1984: Topless swimmers on a rocky promontory of the Mediterranean island of Cavallo, Corsica. Slim Aarons Island Paradise 1984 C print (Printed l...
C Print
Slim Aarons, 'Natale Rusconi' Midcentury Modern Photography
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Natale Rusconi riding a Hotel Cipriani motor launch with the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore on San Giorgio Maggiore island beyond, in Venice, Italy, in September 1978. Slim Aarons ...
C Print
Poolside Party - Limited Slim Aarons Estate Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Slim Aarons Estate Limited Edition C print 40 x 30 inches / 101 x 76 cm unframed. ' Poolside Party ' A poolside party at a desert house, designed by Richard Neutra for Edgar J. K...
C Print, Color
Poolside Catwalk, California, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This 1970s photograph, taken by society photographer Slim Aarons, features former fashion model Helen Dzo Dzo Kaptur (in white lace) and Nelda Linsk (in yellow), wife of art dealer J...
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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
Guests At The Hotel Bel-Air, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This early 1990s photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features guests by the swimming pool on a terrace at the Hotel Bel-Air on Cap Ferrat on the Côte d'Azur, so...
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Saint Tropez Beach - Topless Sunbathing Nude Portrait French Riviera Beaches
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Saint Tropez Beach - Topless Sunbathing Nude Portrait French Riviera Beaches by Slim Aarons 16 x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print. E...
Photographic Paper, Color, C Print, Digital
Catherine Wilke, 1980 - Bronze Model Poses Drinking Cocktail by Sunbathers
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Catherine Wilke, 1980 - Bronze Model Poses Drinking Cocktail by Sunbathers by Slim Aarons 16 x 20" print. Limited Edition Premium Collection Estate Stamped Print. Edition of 150. Pr...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Digital
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
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
Marbella Club Slim Aarons Estate Stamped Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Marbella Club The swimming pool of the Marbella Club in Andalucia looks out over the sea, 1976 16 × 16 inches - paper size Estate Stamped Collection Edition to 150 Photo by Sl...
Archival Pigment, Color
Sunbathing in Capri, Catherine Wilke, 1980 Slim Aarons Estate Limited Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Catherine Wilke joins the topless sunbathers – along with Elisabetta Catalano, Charlotte Ticken and Pamela Grupas – on the island of Capri, Italy, in August 1980. Sunbathing in Capr...
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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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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
'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
Palm Beach Pastels Slim Aarons Estate Stamped Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Palm Beach Pastels 1959 by Slim Aarons Slim Aarons Limited Estate Edition Socialite Alice Topping relaxing by a swimming pool in Palm Beach, Florida, 1959. unframed c type pr...
Archival Pigment
$4,900
Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc -Slim Aarons - colour C print photography - 20th century
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
'Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc' by Slim Aarons ESTATE EDITION - numbered and emboss stamped on front. (edition size 150 only) Waterskiing from the Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap d'Antibes, ...
C Print
Slim Aarons "Keep Your Cool" Unframed Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Keep Your Cool Carmen Alvarez enjoying a game of backgammon with Frank ‘Brandy’ Brandstetter in a swimming pool at Acapulco, 1978. (Photo by Slim Aarons) Unframed (Premium Collect...
Archival Pigment
$3,830
Slim Aarons 'Cortina d'Ampezzo' Unframed Limited Edition Estate Stamped Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Cortina d'Ampezzo by Slim Aarons Isa Genolini and Maria Antonia in the main street of Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, March 1982. (Photo by Slim Aarons) Limited edition estate stamped pr...
Archival Pigment
Garden Party Huge Oversize Slim Aarons Limited Estate Stamped Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Garden Party. An elegant garden party in Miami, Florida, 1970. Huge oversize 60 x 60" inches / 152 x 152 cm paper size Estate Stamped Collection Edition to 150 Photo by Slim Aaro...
Archival Pigment
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
Catch Up by the Pool, California, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This early 1970s photograph, taken by society photographer Slim Aarons, features former fashion model Helen Dzo Dzo Kaptur (in white lace), Nelda Linsk (in yellow), wife of art deale...
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Caleta Beach, Acapulco, Estate Edition, Landscape Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This late 1960s landscape photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features a couple walking on Caleta Beach holding hands, Acapulco, Mexico, 1968. This is an esta...
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Slim Aarons 'Boy Baron' Unframed Limited Edition Estate Stamped Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Boy Baron by Slim Aarons 1957: The youngest peer in England, seven year old Thomas Alexander Fermor-Hesketh, 3rd Baron and 10th Baronet Hesketh, fishing in the lake at his ancestral...
Archival Pigment
Saint-Tropez Beach Estate Edition Photograph, French Riviera
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Slim Aarons' Saint-Tropez Beach, an Estate Edition photograph, is a vintage scene of sunbathers on the French Riviera, August 1971. Colorful coral red an...
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Los Leones, St Barts - Saint Barthelemy Architecture Al Fresco Dining Views
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Los Leones, St Barts - Saint Barthelemy Architecture Al Fresco Dining Views by Slim Aarons 16 x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print. Edition of 150. Printed Later. "Lo...
Photographic Paper, Color, C Print, Digital
Britt Ekland 1969 - Slim Aarons Estate Stamped
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Britt Ekland 1969 - Slim Aarons Estate Stamped Film star Britt Ekland (Britt-Marie Eklund) in Porto Ercole, Italy. 1969. 30 x 30" inches / 76 x 76 cm paper size Estate Stamped Co...
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
Catch Up by the Pool, California, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This early 1970s photograph, taken by society photographer Slim Aarons, features former fashion model Helen Dzo Dzo Kaptur (in white lace), Nelda Linsk (in yellow), wife of art deale...
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Sea Drive, Nassau, Estate Edition Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This mid-1960s photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features film producer Kevin McClory taking his wife Bobo Sigrist and their family for a drive in an 'Amphica...
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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...
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$3,000
Social Call, Mexico, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This early-1970s photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features Charley Weaver at the Las Brisas resort in Acapulco, Mexico. This is an estate-stamped and hand-n...
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Slim Aarons 'Jean Serpieri' Official Limited Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
'Jean Serpieri' Madame Jean Serpieri sits in the ballroom of the Tour La Reine near Athens, wearing a gown that belonged to the wife of Otto, the first king of modern Greece, Decem...
Archival Pigment
Poolside Friendship, 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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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
Palm Beach Ladies Slim Aarons Limited Estate Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
'Palm Beach Ladies' 1964 Slim Aarons Limited Estate Edition Print American socialite Wendy Vanderbilt (right) and another woman wearing Lilly Pulitzer ...
Color, Archival Pigment
Mill Reef Club, Antigua, 1960 (Unseen)
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
The beach club at at the Mill Reef Club on Antigua in the West Indies, 1960. Mill Reef Beach Club, Antigua 1960 C print (Printed later) Estate signature stamped and hand numbered ed...
C Print
$5,400
Saint-Tropez Boucherie, French Riviera, Estate Edition Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Discover the quintessence of French Riviera charm in Slim Aarons' iconic photograph, 'Saint-Tropez Boucherie,' on Rue des Commercants, Saint-Tropez, 1971. This image is a beautiful intersection of fashion, culture, and everyday life in the sun-drenched streets of Saint-Tropez in August 1971. This photograph features a casual yet captivating scene: two women and a young girl, all dressed in vibrant, vintage early '70s attire in shades of mint green, lemon yellow, and pink, enjoying a leisurely conversation outside a classic red French boucherie or butcher shop. A chic gold and white bicycle, representative of the laid-back Mediterranean lifestyle, is parked unassumingly on the sidewalk. Adding depth to the scene, the shop's proprietor, clad in a purple shirt, can be spotted through the window, lending an authentic touch to the photograph. An enchanting Moroccan-style zellige tile...
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Faraglioni Rocks in Capri, 1974 - Capri Island Sorrento Italian Vacation Holiday
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Faraglioni Rocks in Capri, 1974 - Capri Island Sorrento Italian Vacation Holiday by Slim Aarons 16 x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped C-Print....
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Digital
Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This late-1970s photograph, taken by society photographer Slim Aarons, features guests around the swimming pool at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, in Antibes on the French Riviera. This ...
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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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Britt Ekland, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Film star Britt Ekland (Britt-Marie Eklund) in Porto Ercole, Italy. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stampe...
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'Golfing Pals' (1977) - Slim Aarons Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Golfing Pals (1977) - Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print (Photo By Slim Aarons) At the 16th hole on Pebble Beach golf course, singer and film star Bi...
Color, C Print
$1,800
Saint-Tropez, France, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This early 1970s photograph, taken by society photographer Slim Aarons, features holidaymakers lounging on the deck of their luxury yacht in Saint-Tropez, France. This is an estate-...
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Monte Carlo, Monaco, Estate Edition, Portrait Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This mid-1970s landscape photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features friends boarding a riva boat in Monte Carlo, Monaco, This is an estate stamped and hand n...
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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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$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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Hotel du Cap Pool, Eden Roc - Cap d'Antibes French Riviera Hotel Views Coastline
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Hotel du Cap Pool, Eden Roc - Cap d'Antibes French Riviera Hotel Views Coastline by Slim Aarons 16 x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print. Edition of 150. Printed Later. ...
Photographic Paper, Color, C Print, Digital
Slim Aarons, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Photographer Slim Aarons (right) on board a yacht off Capri, Italy, September 1968. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity...
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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...
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Sardinian Holiday Slim Aarons Limited Estate Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Sardinian Holiday Selvaggia Borromeo enjoys a yachting holiday on the Costa Smeralda in Sardinia, 1967. Gorgeous print measuring 40 x 30 inches / ca 101 x 76 cm's. Estate Stamp...
Color, Archival Pigment
$1,440Sale Price|20% Off
Waterfall at Rose Hall, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A woman combing her hair by a waterfall at Rose Hall, Jamaica, December 1971. Visual description: A tanned white woman smiles and combs her long brown hair by a waterfall at Rose H...
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