Before reality TV brought us into homes of the rich and famous, there was Slim Aarons... and let's be honest, it's all downhill after Slim. On a small Leica camera, Slim captured endless summers, opulence, and beauty. "I knew everyone," he said in an interview with The 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."

Many of us appreciate Slim today because of a rather wild choice he made in 1974: he sold his entire archive. Slim believed that "society as such didn't exist anymore" and he wanted the public to see the golden life. Thank you Slim! Here are a few of our favorites.