Aarons, George Allen “Slim” (American, 1916-2006) Photograph. “The Good Life", C.Z. Guest and her son Alexander and dog at the pool at their home Villa Artemis in Palm Beach, Florida, 1955. The 1955 portrait of American writer, style icon and grande dame of high society (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 front estate, Villa Artemis, Palm Beach is arguably Slim Aaron’s most famous image. Slim Aaron’s photographs offer a glimpse into the lives of the American jet-set in the post-war era. Aarons photographed the rich and beautiful in palatial Malibu mansions, at society events, and on lush European beaches, winning the trust of celebrities and capturing the likes of Gary Cooper, Mick Jagger, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in private moments. His oeuvre evokes the glamour and grace of midcentury America, depicting what he often said were “attractive people doing attractive things in attractive places.” Aarons stopped working in the years leading up to his death, as he was displeased with the trends of magazine journalism that emerged in the 1990s and 2000s. His body of work represents an essential and iconic time-capsule of a bygone era. Color C Print Photograph. In good condition. Image size 37 ” x 38”. Frame measures 41" x 40".

From Gettyimagesgallery: Slim Aarons worked mainly for society publications, taking pictures of the rich and famous both before and after serving as a photographer for the US military magazine Yank during World War II. His work has been included in the publications Town and Country, Holiday, Venture and LIFE. Aarons was known for the positive portrayals he gave to the people he photographed and was invited to high-society gatherings for exactly this reason. His subject matter covered American and European society as well as nobility and both minor and major stars of the day.

From Wikipedia: Aarons was born in Manhattan. At 18 years old, Aarons enlisted in the U.S. Army, worked as a photographer at West Point, and later served as a combat photographer in World War II and earned a Purple Heart. Aarons said combat had taught him the only beach worth landing on was "decorated with beautiful, seminude girls tanning in a tranquil sun." Aarons moved to California and began photographing celebrities. In California, he shot his most praised photo, Kings of Hollywood, a 1957 New's Year's Eve photograph depicting Clark Gable, Van Heflin, Gary Cooper, and James Stewart relaxing at a bar in full formal wear. Aaron's work appeared in Life, Town & Country,and Holiday magazines. Aarons never used a stylist, or a makeup artist. He made his career out of what he called "photographing attractive people doing attractive things in attractive places." An oft-cited example of this approach is his 1970 Poolside Gossip shot at Richard Neutra's Kaufman House (once the home of singer Barry Manilow), with owner Nelda Linsk as one of the models in the photo. "I knew everyone," he said in an interview with The (London) Independent in 2002. "They would invite me to one of their parties because they knew I wouldn't hurt them. I was one of them." Alfred Hitchcock's film, Rear Window, whose main character is a photographer played by Jimmy Stewart, is set in an apartment reputed to be based on Aarons' apartment after the war.