Top 31+ rare vintage photos of Palm Beach

The allure of Palm Beach is nothing new. Located in southern Florida, the glamorous beach town has been a beloved vacation spot since the Gilded Age, when businesses and hotels, like the Palm Beach Inn (renamed The Breakers in 1901), began popping up. The vibrant locale has been a warm-weather destination for celebrities, socialites, and even royalty for over a century, thanks to its impressive mansions, historic landmarks, beautiful beaches, and upscale shopping.

Palm Beach—and its high society of yesteryear—is the main focus in the new television series Palm Royale, which stars Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern, and Carol Burnett, so what better time than now to take a look back at the world-famous beach town through the years? From snapshots of socialites by the inimitable Slim Aarons to images of Palm Beach legend Lilly Pulitzer wearing some of her creations, here are 31 rare vintage photos of Palm Beach.

1940: A Glamorous Duo

Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton and amateur golfer Robert Sweeny enjoy an afternoon in Palm Beach. The duo dated in the late 1930s, but parted ways when Hutton struck up a romance with actor Cary Grant. The heiress and actor stayed married for three years.

1946: A Beach Stroll

A couple smiles for a photo while on their way to the beach.

1946: Under the Palm Trees

John F. Kennedy's sister, Patricia, and a friend play a game of golf at the Seminole Golf Club, a private and exclusive spot in Palm Beach.

1946: A Winter Getaway

A young woman wintering in Palm Beach poses for the camera in a chic white dress with matching pumps and a striped headscarf.

1948: A Fishing Trip

Baseball great Joe DiMaggio takes a break from hitting home runs and on a fishing trip off the Florida coast.

1953: Street View

Here's a photograph of a street in Palm Beach from the 1950s taken by Slim Aarons. The famous New York City photographer was known for snapping socialites and celebrities at leisure.

1954: A Day at the Beach

Patsy Pulitzer, the granddaughter of newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer, relaxes at the beach. The model grew up in Palm Beach, attending Palm Beach Day School, and her brother, Herbert, was married to fashion designer Lilly Pulitzer.

1955: A Slim Aarons Snapshot

Slim Aarons snapped socialite C.Z. Guest and her adorable Great Dane in Palm Beach in the 1950s. This was shot outside a grand Floridian estate dubbed Villa Artemis, which once belonged to Guests' in-laws.

1955: Sketching by the Beach

John F. Kennedy, his wife, Jackie, and their friends spend the afternoon sketching and painting in Palm Beach.

1955: Walking the Dog

Jane Dudley, a glamorous woman who spent her winters in Palm Beach, takes her dog for a walk down in an elegant short-sleeve DeDe Johnson dress and a strand of pearls.

1955: Pretty in Pink

How fabulous is this photo of C.Z. Guest and her friend Joanne Connolly taken by Slim Aarons? In matching pink dresses, the pair pose in front of the pool at Villa Artemis.

1955: A Polo Ball

A&P grocery store heir Huntington Hartford and his then-wife, actress Marjorie Steele, enjoy an evening out at the Boca Raton Club to attend a Polo Ball.

1955: Worth Avenue

A group of socialites try on clothing at Saks Fifth Avenue on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach. The area is known as Palm Beach's upscale shopping district, packed with designer stores including Caroline Herrera, Chanel, and Ferragamo.

1955: Evening Elegance

Socialite Iris Vanderbilt Smith Paine poses for a photo in a gorgeous printed dress designed by Luis Estevez. Slim Aarons took this photo of her at her father, Earl E. T. Smith's Palm Beach estate.

1955: Luxury Living

A woman dressed in a chic Georgia Bullock-designed belted dress stops by Au Bon Gout, a luxury boutique on Worth Avenue.

1955: Sipping Champagne

A Palm Beach partygoer sips champagne while smoking a cigarette at one of the beach destination's many fêtes.

1956: La Coquille Club

Lola Pierce Prentice, the second wife of John D. Rockefeller's grandson, Spelman Prentice, poses with her dog while out on a walk. Lola and her husband owned La Coquille Club, the luxurious oceanside Palm Beach club that attracted everyone from Ginger Rogers to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

1958: Glamorous in Chiffon

A well-dressed socialite named Alice Wesselhoeft Saltonstall takes a photo in front of a fountain wearing a chiffon ankle-length gown with a matching shawl.

1959: Sitting by the Pool

How amazing is this lounge chair? Socialite Alice Topping sits for a Slim Aarons shot while reclining on a uniquely designed pink daybed complete with a frilled canopy. It doesn't get any more elegant than that.

1959: A Walk on the Wild Side

A model poses for a photo inside socialite and polo player Laddie Sanford's Palm Beach estate.

1961: The Colony Hotel

1961: A Pool Party

Lilly Pulitzer and a friend attended a backyard pool party in Palm Beach in the 1960s. The designer wore a pink chiffon headscarf and printed boatneck dress while her friend donned a bright blue knit hat.

1961: A Fashionable Affair

Guests gather at a Palm Beach pool party in the 1960s.

1964: A Vibrant Duo

Socialite Wendy Vanderbilt and her friend smile for the camera, dressed in vibrant Lilly Pulitzer creations. Pulitzer was a mainstay in Palm Beach, moving down there from New York with her husband after they married.

1964: Lilly Pulitzer Designs

A group of young women pose for the camera wearing colorful dresses and headscarves designed by Lilly Pulitzer.

1968: Athina Livanos Onassis

Aristotle Onassis's first wife, Athina Livanos Onassis, is pictured here in Palm Beach following her divorce. She went on to marry shipping tycoon Stavros Niarchos in 1971.

1968: Outside the Flagler Museum

Prominent businessman and sports pilot Donald Leas and his wife Johanna stand beside their Rolls Royce in front of the Flagler Museum. The 75-room, 100,000-square-foot Gilded Age mansion is still open today.

1970: A Motorcycle Ride

A smiling couple goes on a joyride through Palm Beach wearing colorful tops and white pleated pants.

1970: A Painted Portrait in Palm Beach

Socialite Dysie Davie sits for an artist who paints a portrait of her in the background.

1970: Pretty Patterns

Lilly Pulitzer was snapped wearing one of her own creations with her friend in the 1970s. The designer fell into starting her own fashion brand in a unique way—she owned a fruit juice stand and quickly learned there that when she squeezed juice she would get her clothes messy. Because of this, she worked with her dressmaker to come up with a dress design that wouldn't show the stains as much, and, well, the rest is history.