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.
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
Villa del Balbianello, June 1983 - Limited Edition, Estate Stamped C-Type Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Villa del Balbianello, June 1983 by Slim Aarons 16 x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print. Edition of 150. Printed Later. 'Villa del Balbianello, June 1983' is a Limited...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Lambda
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
Sunbathing On Capri Slim Aarons Limited Estate Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Sunbathing On Capri Catherine Wilke, often mistaken for a young Kate Moss, joins the topless sunbathers - along with Elisabetta Catalano, Charlotte Ticken and Pamela Grupas - on the...
Color, Archival Pigment
Slim Aarons 'Pool At Las Hadas' 1974 Official Limited Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
'Pool At Las Hadas' Guests round the pool at Las Hadas, Manzanillo, Mexico, 1974. 40 x 60" inches / 102 x 152 cm paper size Estate Stamped Collection Edition to 150 Photo by S...
Archival Pigment
Poolside Ladies, California, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This 1970s photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features former fashion model Helen Dzo Dzo Kaptur (in white lace), Nelda Linsk (in yellow), wife of art dealer J...
Lambda
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...
Lambda
Fishing Boats (1952) Limited Estate Stamped - Giant
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Fishing Boats (1952) Limited Estate Stamped (Photo By Slim Aarons) Fishing nets and boats on the shore Mexico, 1952. Additional Information: Unframed Paper Size: 40x40'' Pri...
Color, Archival Pigment
Pink Accessory 1955 - Slim Aarons Estate Stamped
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Pink Accessory 1955 - Slim Aarons Estate Stamped Film star Joan Collins in a pink and white bedroom with an accessory pink poodle, circa 1955. 40 x 40" inches / 102 x 102 cm paper...
Archival Pigment
Pevero Golf Corse Slim Aarons Limited Estate Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Pevero Golf Corse The Pevero Golf Course, Costa Smeralda, Sardinia, 1978. Paper Size 24x20 inches / 60 x 50 cm Estate Stamped Collection Edition to 150 Photo by Slim Aarons ...
Color, Archival Pigment
Family Pool (1960) Limited Estate Stamped - Giant
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Family Pool (1960) Limited Estate Stamped (Photo By Slim Aarons) Mrs A Watson Armour III (Jean Schweppe) with friends and family enjoying the pool on their estate at Lake Forest...
Color, Archival Pigment
$6,100
Leisure In Antibes, 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 a woman sunbathing in a motorboat as it tows a waterskiier, in the sea off the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Ro...
Lambda
Muffy Bancroft, Manhattan, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This mid-1950s photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features Mrs. Thomas Bancroft Jnr (Peggy Bancroft) in the foyer of her Manhattan duplex. This is an estate-s...
Lambda
Lake Tahoe Couple, 1959 - Lake Tahoe Sierra Nevada Swimming Pool Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Lake Tahoe Couple, 1959 - Lake Tahoe Sierra Nevada Swimming Pool Photograph by Slim Aarons 16" x 16" print on 16" x 20" paper. Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print. Edition of 150....
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Digital
$3,900
The Meridian Club, 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 a pool at the Meridian Club, owned by Ginny and Bill Cowles, on the Turks and Caicos Islands This...
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
$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...
Lambda
Sailing Off Boston Slim Aarons Estate Stamped Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Sailing Off Boston 1959 by Slim Aarons Slim Aarons Limited Estate Edition Henry B. Cabot Jr. (in black) on Barclay (Buzzy) H Warburton III’s brigantine ‘Black Pearl’, circa 1959. ...
Archival Pigment
Rowing off Sicily, 1975 - Mediterranean Vacations Sicily Italian Destination
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Rowing off Sicily - Mediterranean Vacations Sicily Italian Destination by Slim Aarons 16 x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped C-Print. Edition of 150. Printed Later. Rowing ...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Digital
Dining Al Fresco On Capri, C Print, Slim Aarons, Estate Signed, 1980
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Italian artist and actress Domiziana Giordano, Italian author Francesca Sanvitale (1928 - 2011), Dino Trappetti and Umberto Terrelli dining al fresco on a terrace overlooking the wat...
C Print
$2,400
Alice Wesselhoeft Saltonstall 1958 - Slim Aarons Estate Stamped
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Alice Wesselhoeft Saltonstall 1958 - Slim Aarons Estate Stamped Alice Wesselhoeft Saltonstall, wife of senator Leverett Saltonstall in Palm Beach, USA, circa 1958 12 x 12" inches /...
Archival Pigment
Outdoor Dining, California, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This 1960s photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features diners at La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club, San Diego, California. This is an estate-stamped and hand-num...
Lambda
Alice in Acapulco - Alice Topping Poses by Pink Flowers and Palm Trees
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Alice in Acapulco - Alice Topping Poses by Pink Flowers and Palm Trees by Slim Aarons 16 x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print. Edition of 150. Printed Later. "Alice i...
C Print, Photographic Paper, Color, Digital
Lounging in Bermuda - Sundowners by Swimming Pool Jill Council Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Lounging in Bermuda - Sundowners by Swimming Pool Jill Council Photograph by Slim Aarons 16" x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print. Edition of 150. Printed Later. "Loun...
C Print, Photographic Paper, Color, Digital
$3,600
Bahamas Speed Week, 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 the Bahamas Speed Week in Nassau. This is an estate-stamped and hand-numbered edition of 150 with...
Lambda
Porto Ercole - Italy - Slim Aarons 20th century colour photography
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
'Porto Ercole' Italy (Slim Aarons Estate Edition) A jetty juts out from the rocky shoreline at the Hotel Il Pellicano in Porto Ercole, Tuscany, August 1973. Beautiful greens of th...
C Print
$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
Marques Of Casa Torres, Spain, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This mid-1960s photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features the apres-ski in Zermatt, Switzerland. This is an estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 w...
Lambda
Eleuthera Pool Party - Slim Aarons - Bahamas - Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
'Eleuthera Pool Party' by Slim Aarons LIMITED EDITION ESTATE STAMPED PRINT Numbered in ink to 150 only and emboss stamped on front. Guests at the French Leave...
C Print
Algarve Hotel Pool, 1970 - Portugal Hotel Swimming Pool Algarve Summer Resort
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Algarve Hotel Pool, 1970 - Portugal Hotel Swimming Pool Algarve Summer Resort by Slim Aarons 16 x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped C-Print. Edition of 150. Printed Later. ...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Digital
$4,200
Slim Aarons 'Hotel Taormina Pool' 1975 Limited Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
'Hotel Taormina Pool' 1975 Slim Aarons Limited Estate Edition Print The seaside swimming pool at the Hotel Taormina, Sicily, August 1975. (Photo by Slim Aarons/Hulton Archive/Getty...
C Print, Color
Newport Tennis Week, 1954 - Tennis Tournament Rhode Island Poodle Spectators
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Newport Tennis Week, 1954 - Tennis Tournament Rhode Island Poodle Spectators by Slim Aarons 16 x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped C-Print. Edition of 150. Printed Later. ...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Digital
The St. Regis, New York, Estate Edition, Event Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This mid-1950s event photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features an aerial view of diners at the St. Regis, New York. This is an estate stamped and hand numbe...
Lambda
Faithful Couple: Mick Jagger & Marianne Faithfull at Leixlip Castle, Estate Ed.
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Slim Aarons's iconic and unusual photograph of 60's rock and roll legends, captured in a moment of casual glamour. 1968: Singer Marianne Faithfull, the Honorable Desmond Guinness and Mick Jagger (of the Rolling Stones) sit on a sofa under a large gilt framed portrait of a woman in 18th century silk dress at Leixlip Castle, Ireland, the home of Desmond Guinness. The sofa is a deep burgundy red, and the background features a richly patterned and gilded wallpaper...
Lambda
Andros Island - Estate Stamped C-Type Print, Limited Edition 16 x 20 Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Andros Island by Slim Aarons 16" x 16" print on 16" x 20" paper. Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print. Edition of 150. Printed Later. "Andros Island" is a beautiful Limited Edition...
C Print, Photographic Paper, Color, Digital
'Hotel De Paris In Monaco' 1977 Slim Aarons Limited Estate Stamped Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Hotel De Paris In Monaco 1977 By Slim Aarons The entrance to the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo, Monaco, June 1977. (Photo by Slim Aarons) 30 x 40" inches / 76 x 101 cm paper size ...
Archival Pigment
Poolside Pairs, 1970 - Poolside Gossip and Glamour in Palm Springs Landscape
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Poolside Pairs, 1970 - Poolside Gossip and Glamour in Palm Springs Landscape by Slim Aarons 16 x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print. E...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Digital, Color
Jackie K, Estate Edition, Portrait Photograph, Classic Pearls Jacqueline Kennedy
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Iconic portrait photograph by midcentury society photographer Slim Aarons, capturing young Jackie Kennedy (Jacqueline Onassis) (1929 - 1994) wife of Senator Jack Kennedy, at a 'April...
Lambda
Il Canille, 1980, Capri, Midcentury Modern Photography
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Sunbathers lounge on the white-painted terrace of Il Canille, built into the rocks of Pizzolungo overlooking the waters off the coast of the island of Capri, Italy, in August 1980. I...
C Print
'Skiing In Vail' *newly added* SLIM AARONS ESTATE Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
'Skiing In Vail' SLIM AARONS ESTATE Print Gorgeous print measuring a Large 20x20" inches / 51 x 51 cm (printed on 20x24" paper size.) A beautiful and classic Slim Aarons C-type p...
C Print
Cannes Watersports, France, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This late-1950s photograph, taken by society photographer Slim Aarons, features holidaymakers waterskiing in front of the Carlton Hotel, Cannes. This is an estate-stamped and hand-n...
Lambda
Pebble Beach Hunt (1976) Limited Estate Stamped
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Pebble Beach Hunt (1976) Limited Estate Stamped (Photo By Slim Aarons) Riders gather in the courtyard of Richard Collins’ House for the stirrup cup libation, before the start of...
Color, Archival Pigment
Mountain Buffet, France, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This late 1980s photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features Courchevel restaurant chefs Jean Jacob (left) of 'Le Bateau Ivre', Michel Rochedy (centre) of 'Le C...
Lambda
Poolside Dreams, 1970 - Poolside Gossip Poolside Glamor Palm Springs Poolside
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Poolside Dreams, 1970 - Poolside Gossip Poolside Glamor Palm Springs Poolside by Slim Aarons 16 x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print. Edition of 150. Printed Later. '...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Digital
'Scottsdale Home' Arizona (Slim Aarons Estate Edition)
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
'Scottsdale Home' Guests by the pool at the home of Wayne Beal in Scottsdale, Arizona, January 1973. Guests relax around the beautiful turquoise waters of the swimming pool of Wayn...
Archival Pigment
Hotel Hacienda, 1978 - Estate Stamped C-Type Print, Limited Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Hotel Hacienda, 1978 by Slim Aarons 16" x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print. Edition of 150. Printed Later. 'Hotel Hacienda' is a Limited Edition Estate Stamped Digi...
C Print, Photographic Paper, Color, Digital
Princess Caroline of Monaco
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Princess Caroline of Monaco 1981 (printed later) C print Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity from the es...
Lambda
Slim Aarons 'Jazz Scooter'
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Slim Aarons Jazz Scooter 1949 (printed later) Silver gelatin print estate signature stamped edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity Lucille Brown takes control of the Vespa...
Silver Gelatin
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
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
The King Of Jazz Slim Aarons Estate Stamped Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
The King Of Jazz 1949 by Slim Aarons Slim Aarons Limited Estate Edition 1949: Photographers taking pictures of American jazz trumpeter and singer, Louis Armstrong (1901 – 1971) as...
Silver Gelatin
Bettina Graziani 1964 - Slim Aarons Estate Stamped
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Bettina Graziani 1964 - Slim Aarons Estate Stamped French fashion model Bettina Graziani wading in the shallow waters of Costa Smeralda, pulling a small yacht behind her, in Sardini...
Archival Pigment
Julie London 1957 - Slim Aarons Estate Stamped
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Julie London 1957 - Slim Aarons Estate Stamped Singer Julie London enjoying breakfast in bed at the Beverly Hills Hotel, circa 1957. 30 x 30" inches / 76 x 76 cm paper size Esta...
Archival Pigment
Bahamas Speed Week Slim Aarons Estate Stamped Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Bahamas Speed Week 1963 by Slim Aarons Slim Aarons Limited Estate Edition Gordon Butler’s Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray at the Bahamas Speed Week at th...
Archival Pigment
Conca dei Marini 1984 - Slim Aarons Estate Stamped
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Conca dei Marini 1984 - Slim Aarons Estate Stamped A quiet bay in Conca dei Marini, on the Amalfi coast in Italy, August 1984 60 x 40" inches / 152 x 101 cm paper size Estate Sta...
Archival Pigment
Waterskiing at the Hotel du Cap, Eden Roc - French Riviera Southern France Hotel
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Waterskiing at the Hotel du Cap, Eden Roc - French Riviera Southern France Hotel by Slim Aarons 16 x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print. Edition of 150. Printed Later. ...
Photographic Paper, Color, C Print, Digital
Princess Colonna, Italy, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photogra
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This late-1950s photograph, taken by society photographer Slim Aarons, features Princess Colonna, posing wearing a Panama-style hat with a blue, white and green blouse, on the island...
Lambda
Donna Domitilla Ruspoli - Portrait in Baroque Romantic Architecture Palazzo
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Donna Domitilla Ruspoli - Portrait in Baroque Romantic Architecture Palazzo by Slim Aarons 16" x 16" print on 16 x 20 paper. Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print. Edition of 150. P...
Photographic Paper, Color, C Print, Digital
Sea Drive, 1967 - Vintage Red Automobile Amphibian Car American Waters
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Sea Drive, 1967 - Vintage Red Automobile Amphibian Car American Waters by Slim Aarons 16 x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print. Edition of 150. Printed Later. Please n...
Photographic Paper, Color, C Print, Digital
Palm Beach Shoppers, 1968 - Lilly Pulitzer Fashion Boutique Palm Beach Shopping
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Palm Beach Shoppers, 1968 - Lilly Pulitzer Fashion Boutique Palm Beach Shopping by Slim Aarons 16 x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print. Edition of 150. Printed Later. ...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Digital