The Lavish World of High Society Debutantes by Slim Aarons (1950s)

Five Debutantes by Slim Aarons, November 1951. Five members of the Debutante Cotillion rehearse for the Christmas Ball at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York. Clockwise from the bottom: Ann Firestone, Venetia Arlen, Mary Audrey Weicker, Sarane Hickox and Peggy Hitchcock via

New York Debutante by Slim Aarons. American model Jean Patchett wearing an outfit by Saks Fifth Avenue, circa 1955 via

‘Last-minute Adjustments’ by Slim Aarons, circa 1955. A young woman has last-minute adjustments made to her dress at a debutante ball via

Debutante Cotillion by Slim Aarons, 1958. In the main ballroom of the Copley Plaza, Boston debutantes in floor length white gowns and long white gloves are accompanied by their fathers as they present themselves to the awaiting patronesses. The fathers bow and the daughters curtsey and so the debutantes are accepted into society. Image provided by Getty Images via

Debs On Parade by Slim Aarons, 1958. A debutante ball held at the Copley Plaza in Boston, Massachusetts. Image provided by Getty Images via

Debutante Ball by Slim Aarons, 1958. A debutante ball held at the Copley Plaza in Boston, Massachusetts via

Debutante Cotillion by Slim Aarons, 1958. Debutantes and their escorts on the dance floor at the Debutante Cotillion at the Copley Plaza hotel, Boston, Massachusetts. Image provided by Getty Images via

Debutante Ball (1958)

Debutante ball, 1958

A debutante is a young woman of an aristocratic or upper-class family who has reached maturity and, as a new adult, comes out into society at a formal “debut”. Originally, the term meant the woman was old enough to be married, and part of the purpose of her coming out was to display her to eligible bachelors and their families with a view to marriage within a select circle.

Queen Charlotte’s Ball by Henri Cartier-Bresson (1959)

Henri Cartier-Bresson, Queen Charlotte’s Ball, London, 1959 via

Lee and Jackie at a Debutante Ball (1951)

Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Lee Radziwill by Cecil Beaton for Vogue at a debutante ball, 1951 via

Lee Radziwill and Jackie Kennedy Onassis by Cecil Beaton for Vogue at a debutante ball, 1951 via

Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis by Cecil Beaton for Vogue, 1951 via

by Cecil Beaton, bromide print, January 1951

Lee Radziwill by Cecil Beaton for Vogue at a debutante ball, 1951 via

Debutantes (1899)

Debutantes Lady Blanche Ruth Brooke Tatton Grieve and Mrs. Bouchier, (née Flora Bathurst Greive), 1899.