--- title: St. Moritz: Photos From 'the Most Fashionable Village in Europe,' 1947 description: Photos taken by the great Alfred Eisenstaedt of the rich at play in St. Moritz, Switzerland in 1947. canonical: https://time.com/3595552/life-in-postwar-st-moritz-cold-comfort-for-high-rollers/ author: Ben Cosgrove article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2012-11-12T17:40:22.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:07:00.599Z og:title: St. Moritz: Photos From 'the Most Fashionable Village in Europe,' 1947 og:description: Photos taken by the great Alfred Eisenstaedt of the rich at play in St. Moritz, Switzerland in 1947. og:url: https://time.com/3595552/life-in-postwar-st-moritz-cold-comfort-for-high-rollers/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7866f8a3a4e3b4bc/698769ac428a9e2ac3cc579b/141119-st-moritz-switzerland-01.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: St. Moritz ,1947 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: St. Moritz: Photos From 'the Most Fashionable Village in Europe,' 1947 twitter:description: Photos taken by the great Alfred Eisenstaedt of the rich at play in St. Moritz, Switzerland in 1947. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7866f8a3a4e3b4bc/698769ac428a9e2ac3cc579b/141119-st-moritz-switzerland-01.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # LIFE in Postwar St. Moritz: Cold Comfort for High Rollers by [Ben Cosgrove](https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Nov 12, 2012 5:40 PM UTC  Caption from LIFE. Midday cocktails at St. Moritz are served on the private ice rink of the Palace Hotel at a bar made of snow. Caption from LIFE. Midday cocktails at St. Moritz are served on the private ice rink of the Palace Hotel at a bar made of snow.Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images by [Ben Cosgrove](https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Nov 12, 2012 5:40 PM UTC Maybe it’s because LIFE magazine covered the Second World War so extensively, with dozens of photographers and correspondents logging tens of thousands of miles, reporting from places like Iwo Jima, the Ardennes and Berlin in the final days of the Reich — maybe that’s why the tone of its March 1947 report on the Swiss resort of St. Moritz feels at-once amused, and slightly annoyed. Of course, LIFE had always paid attention to the idle rich, and when it felt like it, the magazine could be as fulsome and as frothy in its coverage of that fascinating breed as any other publication of the era. The magazine’s editors were well aware — especially in the post-war years — that a steady diet of [garcinia cambogia extract](http://www.buynaturalgarciniacambogia.com), austerity, disaster and other hard-news staples might earn LIFE accolades, but the only sure way to sell copies (and ads) was to make sure there were stories on celebrities, royalty and other “beautiful people” in the mix. In its March 10, 1947, issue, LIFE took a look at those beautiful people, in one of their more beautiful playgrounds, and while the photographs by Alfred Eisenstaedt convey the sheer luxury of the life they led, it’s hard not to detect just the slightest hint of a sneer in the way the piece was introduced. There’s no real animosity here; but nor is there much hand-wringing over the fact that — for at least some of St. Moritz’s more absurd, and absurdly rich, habitues — the world was changing beneath their feet. --- > “” --- --- > “” ---  Caption from LIFE. Midday cocktails at St. Moritz are served on the private ice rink of the Palace Hotel at a bar made of snow. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Egyptian Princess Nasli Shah (left), wife of Prince Abdel Moneim, goes for a stroll through the snow with young Peter Zervudachi and Princess Sixte de Bourbon-Parme, sister-in-law of Austria's last empress. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Sunday sleigh rides are an ancient custom among natives of Engadine. With menfolk seated behind, they set out for a round of visits in neighboring villages, making a picturesque spectacle for the town's guests. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  St. Moritz, Switzerland, 1947. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. A chihuahua gets more attention on street than the conglomerate costume of his mistress. St. Moritz was crowded with many fashionable dogs, including one with leg splints as a result of a curling accident. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Fashionable center is Palace Hotel where many of Europe's crowned heads have been guests. The hotel has 200 rooms. Rates start at $80 per week for good room and meals but bills somehow add up to much more. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Tree on Alpine slopes, 1947\. Peak in the background is Piz Corvatsch. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Switzerland, 1947. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Thick coats, like those of Isabelle Nicole and her dogs, protect them from the 17-degree cold. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Switzerland, 1947. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  St. Moritz, Switzerland, 1947. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  St. Moritz, Switzerland, 1947. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Snow-covered winter-resort village. Hotel Chantarella in background. St. Moritz, 1947. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Switzerland, 1947. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Privileged dog gets thorough whisking when he returns to hotel from snowy streets. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Self-portrait of photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt standing in snow and holding his Leica camera while on assignment for LIFE in St. Moritz, Switzerland, 1947. 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