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.
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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Slim Aarons 'Il Pellicano Hotel' 1980 Official Limited Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
'Il Pellicano Hotel' Holidaymakers relax beside the swimming pool of Il Pellicano Hotel in Porto Ercole, Tuscany, August 1980. 40 x 30" inches / 101 x 76 cm paper size Estate S...
Archival Pigment
Coconut Fruit Cocktail - Pink Bathing Suit Nude Portrait Mango Papaya Fruits
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Coconut Fruit Cocktail - Pink Bathing Suit Nude Portrait Mango Papaya Fruits by Slim Aarons 16 x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print. Editi...
Photographic Paper, Color, C Print, Digital
Eden-Roc Hotel du Cap 1976 Slim Aarons Premium Collection Estate Stamped Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc 1976 Guests by the pool at the Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc, Antibes, France, August 1976. 40 x 60" inches / 101 x 152 cm paper size. Photo by Slim Aarons Archival...
Color, Archival Pigment
On the Sugarbush Slopes 1960 - Slim Aarons Estate Stamped
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
On the Sugarbush Slopes 1960 - Slim Aarons Estate Stamped A group of people sit relaxing in a chalet on the slopes of the Sugarbush Mountain ski resort, one of the largest ski resor...
Archival Pigment
Eye Of The Beholder Slim Aarons Estate Stamped Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Eye Of The Beholder 1974 by Slim Aarons Slim Aarons Limited Estate Edition A man contemplates the sunbathers by a swimming pool in Capri, Italy, August 1974 unframed c type print...
Archival Pigment
Slim Aarons 'Cortina d'Ampezzo' 1988 Official Limited Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
'Cortina d'Ampezzo' 1988 Slim Aarons Limited Estate Edition Print Snowboarding in Cortina d'Ampezzo, March 1988. 40 x 60" inches / 102 x 152 cm paper size Estate Stamped Colle...
Archival Pigment
Palm Beach Idyll Slim Aarons Estate Stamped Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Palm Beach Idyll 1955 by Slim Aarons Slim Aarons Limited Estate Edition A couple sunbathing by the sea at Palm Beach, Florida, circa 1955. unframed c type print printed 2023 16 ...
Archival Pigment
Underwater Drink Slim Aarons Estate Stamped Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Underwater Drink 1972 by Slim Aarons Slim Aarons Limited Estate Edition A woman drinking from a coconut underwater in the pool at Las Brisas Hotel in Acapulco, Mexico, February 1...
Archival Pigment
Pellicano Beach Slim Aarons Estate Stamped Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Pellicano Beach 1969 by Slim Aarons Slim Aarons Limited Estate Edition Boats at a jetty by the beach at the Hotel Il Pellicano in Porto Ercole, Tuscany, August 1969 unframed c ty...
Archival Pigment
On The Slopes In Stowe Slim Aarons Estate Stamped Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
On The Slopes In Stowe 1962 by Slim Aarons Slim Aarons Limited Estate Edition Five people relaxing on the terrace of the glass-fronted triangular Skaal House in the Stowe Mountain...
Archival Pigment
Skiing In Gstaad Slim Aarons Estate Stamped Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Skiing In Gstaad 1977 by Slim Aarons Slim Aarons Limited Estate Edition Christine Camerana, Caroline Stoop, and Christine Semenenko Warrender prepare for a day on the slopes in Gs...
Archival Pigment
$6,100
Slim Aarons 'Porto Rotondo' 1990 Official Limited Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
'Porto Rotondo' Pleasure yachts moored in a sandy cove at Porto Rotondo, Sardinia, July 1990. Paper size 48 x 72 inches / 122 x 183 cm Estate Stamped Collection Edition to 150 ...
Archival Pigment
Swimming In Spain 1970 - Slim Aarons Estate Stamped
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Swimming In Spain 1970 - Slim Aarons Estate Stamped Swimming and snorkelling in the bay at the Hostal De La Gavina, in S’agaro, Costa Brava, Spain, July 1970. 30 x 20" inches / 61...
Archival Pigment
'Pool At Las Brisas' SLIM AARONS ESTATE Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
'Pool At Las Brisas' 1972 Giant Estate Stamped Limited Edition Print by Slim Aarons 'Pool At Las Brisas' by Slim Aarons Guests in the pool at the Las Brisas Hotel, Acapulco, Mexico, February 1972. Two beautiful young women in bikinis...
C Print
Sunbathing On Capri 1974 Slim Aarons Limited Estate Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Andros Island (1957) Limited Estate Stamped (Photo By Slim Aarons) Sunbathers by a swimming pool at the Hotel Punta Tragara on the island of Capri, Italy, August 1974. Additional Information: Unframed Paper Size: 20x20'' Printed Later Limited Estate Stamped NOTE OTHER SIZES OF THIS IMAGE AVAILABLE 12 x 12'' 16 x 16'' 20 x 20'' 30 x 30'' 40 x 40'' FRAMING AVAILABLE ON REQUEST About the Artist: Slim Aarons (American, October 29, 1916–May 29, 2006) was a photographer well-known for his portraits of the rich and famous. Born George Allen Aarons, he spent his youth in New Hampshire and New York before joining the army during World War II, where his photography career began. Working throughout his career with magazines like Life, Holiday, and Town & Country gave Aarons the chance to document the jet-set lifestyle of Hollywood stars, American and European socialites, and other celebrated figures. His approach was simple; using no make-up artists or artificial lights, he let the natural opulence of his subjects and their surroundings illuminate his lens. Typical scenes from Aaron’s photography take place in the sun, and in front of a pool surrounded by bathing beauties. The Slim Aarons Prints...
Color, C Print
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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Slim Aarons 'Speedboat Landing' 1973 Official Limited Estate Edition
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. 24 x 20" inc...
Archival Pigment
Zephyria I, Estate Edition. Monte Carlo French Riviera Speedboat Seascape
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Monte Carlo, 1970: This classic landscape photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features a vintage wooden and red painted speedboat carrying holidaygoers in the ...
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Self Portrait on Holiday in Athens, Greece
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Legendary photographer Slim Aarons relaxes in a self portrait shot in Athens, near the Acropolis. Slim Aarons said, "I love a solo holiday. It tends to refresh the part of oneself that is most depleted by modern life — patience. "Let me dispel a few myths. You will be lonely. No: you won’t. My solo travels in Paris have brought many perfect hours of being alone but not a moment of loneliness. People who depend on other people are often in hiding from themselves. Two and a quarter million people live in the City of Light: you will see many of them and you will pass them in the street, but when you see Notre Dame after dark and walk home and perhaps stop to have a drink in the Marais, you can feel that the only thing that is missing from your experience is the common dependency on someone to distract your attention. "I’ve had solo pints of Guinness in the pubs of County Kerry and County Cork. I’ve walked across the sage- and juniper-scented maquis of Corsica on a spring day, where you can still find the world of Napoleon’s childhood. More than once I went to the Isle of Iona in the Scottish Hebrides...
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Domitilla Ruspoli, Rome, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This 1960s portrait photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features Donna Domitilla Ruspoli in the gallery of the Palazzo Ruspoli in Rome, 1960. The giant frescoes...
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Hello There, 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 film star Diana Dors (Diana Fluck) (1931 - 1984) in blonde bombshell pose on a satin-covered bed. T...
Lambda
$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...
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Lounging in Verbier, Swiss Alps, Estate Edition, Landscape Photograph Mountains
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Swiss Alps, 1964: This landscape photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features holiday-makers taking in the sunset on a white snowy mountain top in Verbier, Swit...
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$2,400
Beverly Hills Party, Los Angeles, Estate Edition, Portrait Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This 1954 portrait photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features American actors Lauren Bacall and Judy Garland attending a house party in Beverly Hills. This i...
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The Bahamas 1967 - Slim Aarons Estate Stamped
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
The Bahamas 1967 - Slim Aarons Estate Stamped Swimming pool, seen through the fronds of a palm tree, with two people swimming and a group of people sitting at tables at the poolside...
Archival Pigment
$5,400
Sunbathing In Antibes 1976 Slim Aarons Estate Stamped Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Sunbathing In Antibes, 1976 Dani Geneux (left) and Marie-Eugenie Gaudfrin sunbathing at the Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc, Antibes, France. 60x40” / 101x152 cm - paper size Estate Stampe...
Archival Pigment
Californian Party, San Francisco, Estate Edition, Portrait Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This early 1990s portrait photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features the Belgian born actress Audrey Hepburn (1929 - 1993) socialising at a party in San Francisco. This is an estate stamp...
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Coming Ashore - Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Coming Ashore A Magnum motorboat belonging to Count Filippo Theodoli arrives at the private jetty of the Il Pellicano Hotel in Porto Ercole, Italy. Augu...
Archival Pigment
$5,400
Slim Aarons 'Keep Your Cool' 1978 Official Limited Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
'Keep Your Cool' 1978 Slim Aarons Limited Estate Edition Carmen Alvarez enjoying a game of backgammon with Frank ‘Brandy’ Brandstetter in a swimming pool at Acapulco. Paper size 6...
Archival Pigment
Eden Hartford, Hollywood, Estate Edition, Portrait Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This mid-1950s portrait photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features actress Eden Hartford, sister to Dee, in the Hollywood home she shared with her husband, co...
Emulsion, Photographic Paper, ABS, Black and White, Digital, Photogram
'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
Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc 1976 Slim Aarons Premium Collection Estate Stamped Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc 1976 Guests by the pool at the Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc, Antibes, France, August 1976. 60 x 40" inches / 152 x 101 cm paper size. Estate Stamped Collection Edit...
Color, Archival Pigment
Anne Anka, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This mid-1970s photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features Anne Anka, wife of singer Paul Anka and daughter of Count Charles de Zogheb, with her daughters (lef...
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Marbella House Party Slim Aarons Limited Estate Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Marbella House Party Guests at a party at the home of Sebastiano Bergese in Marbella, Spain, August 1967. 20 x 24 inches paper size Estate S...
Color, Archival Pigment
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...
Lambda
$4,200
'Bettina Graziani' Slim Aarons Limited Edition Estate Stamped
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Bettina Graziani (1964) Limited Edition Estate Stamped C Type Print (Photo By Slim Aarons) French fashion model Bettina Graziani (Simone Micheline Bodin) (1925 – 2015) adjusting t...
Color, C Print
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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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
$7,410
'Nice Pool' Palm Beach 1965 Slim Aarons Limited Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
'Nice Pool' American writer C.Z. Guest (Mrs F.C. Winston Guest, 1920 - 2003) and her son Alexander Michael Douglas Dudley Guest in front of their Grecian temple pool on the ocean-fr...
Archival Pigment
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...
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Eden-Roc Pool, France, Estate Edition Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This mid-1970s photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features guests round the swimming pool at the Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc, Antibes, France, This is an estate st...
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Slim Aarons Official Estate Print - Adriatic Riviera
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Adriatic Riviera Men and women - wearing red, white and blue striped tops - relaxing on a small boat, with a red and white mast, and small flags of Germany, USA, Great Britain and I...
Archival Pigment
Sunbathing In Capri 1974 - Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Sunbathing In Capri 1974 - Slim Aarons Estate Edition Sunbathers by a swimming pool in Capri, Italy, August 1974 60 x 40" inches / 152 x 101 cm paper size Estate Stamped Collecti...
Archival Pigment
Slim Aarons "Sea Drive" Unframed Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Sea Drive 1967. Film producer Kevin McClory takes his wife Bobo Sigrist and their family for a drive in an ‘Amphicar’ across the harbour at Nassau. The children are Bianca Juarez (B...
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 40 x 40" inches / ca 101 x 101 cm’s paper size. Estate Stamped Collection ...
Archival Pigment
Slim Aarons Official Estate Edition - Barbados Bliss
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Barbados Bliss by Slim Aarons Ava Marshall relaxes with a book amongst the bougainvillea in Barbados, April 1976. 60 x 60 inches / 152 x 152 cm paper ...
Archival Pigment
Sunbathing In Burgenstock 1955 - Slim Aarons Estate Stamped
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Sunbathing In Burgenstock 1955 - Slim Aarons Estate Stamped Lilian Hanson, sunbathing by a pool at the Burgenstock Resort in Canton Nidwalden, Switzerland, 1955. 40 x 60" inches / ...
Archival Pigment
Porto Ercole, 1973
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
A jetty juts out from the rocky shoreline at the Hotel Il Pellicano in Porto Ercole, Tuscany, August 1973. Slim Aarons Porto Erocole, 1973 C print Estate stamped and numbered edit...
C Print
Vuccino And Rava 1958 - Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Vuccino And Rava 1958 - Slim Aarons Estate Edition Carla Vuccino, wearing a swimming cap, and a sunbathing Marina Rava, both wearing bikinis as they sit on the rear of a boat, on th...
Archival Pigment
Slim Aarons 'Let's Twirl' Official Limited Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
'Let's Twirl' Film stars Tony Curtis (Bernard Schwarz) and his wife Janet Leigh (Jeanette Morrison) enjoying a dance at a Beverly Hills party held at James Mason's home. 40 x 30"...
Archival Pigment
$3,000
Snorkelling In The Shallows 1959 - Slim Aarons Estate Stamped
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Snorkelling In The Shallows 1959 - Slim Aarons Estate Stamped A group of people snorkelling off a small boat in Malta, circa 1959 16 x 16" inches / 41 x 41 cm paper size Estate St...
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
Capri Tan 1968 - Slim Aarons Estate Stamped
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Capri Tan 1968 - Slim Aarons Estate Stamped 1968, A kneeling sunbather shows off her rings and pendant on a beach in Capri, Italy. 30 x 20" inches / 76 x 51 cm paper size Estate ...
Archival Pigment
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...
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Slim Aarons 'Stocking Island, Bahamas' 1964 Official Limited Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
'Stocking Island, Bahamas' 1964 Slim Aarons Limited Estate Edition Print A high angle view of people swimming next to the ketch 'Traveler II', Stocking Island, Bahamas, 1964. 40 ...
Archival Pigment
$1,800
Caprice On Capri, 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 singer and actress Caprice Chantal (right) on the Italian island of Capri. This is an estate-stampe...
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Slim Aarons Official Estate Print - Dinner Jazz
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Dinner Jazz American Jazz trumpeter and singer Louis Armstrong enjoys a plate of spaghetti in Rome. Paper size 48 x 48" inches / 121 x 121 cm Estate ...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
$1,800
Beverly Hills Hotel, 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 cars parked outside the Beverly Hills Hotel on Sunset Boulevard in California. This is an estate-st...
Lambda
$2,400
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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