For over five decades, American photographer Slim Aarons captured the lifestyles of the rich and famous, presenting a golden age of wealth, beauty, and privilege through sunny portraits of post-war affluence. Born George Allen Aarons in 1916 in New York, he later became known as ‘Slim’ due to his lean, 6ft 4in frame. While Aarons would later surround himself with the glitterati, his beginnings in photography were far from luxurious.
One of her most celebrated works is a striking portrait of Louis Armstrong, one of the most influential jazz musicians in history. Titled Louis Armstrong Playing Trumpet, the black-and-white photograph offers an up-close glimpse of the musician mid-performance, captured in the midst of the club’s lively ambiance.
Over her 50-year career, acclaimed American photographer Tina Barney has captured the inner dynamics and lifestyles of those around her. Known for her large-scale, color photographs of the upper class, Barney’s work intimately studies the private, social, and cultural lives of East Coast families and Europe’s upper classes.
“Green was the silence, wet was the light, the month of June trembled like a butterfly.” — Pablo Neruda