Vivian Maier (1926-2009) was an American street photographer. In her quiet, humble life, she supported herself by working forty years as a nanny, once even caring for the children of former TV talk show host Phil Donahue in Chicago, where she lived most of her life. Born in New York City to Austrian-French immigrant parents, she grew up with a record of back and forth moves across the pond between NYC and France, Originally settling for work in a New York sweatshop as a young adult. In 1956, she moved alone to Chicago for her long career as a nanny, but still managed some world travel, it is thought, from the sale of family land holdings. By the time she reached her elder years, Vivian had been reduced to living on the streets for want of money. Several of her now adult former client children found out about her bad straits and bought her an apartment in Chicago. They also paid her utility and basic expenses until her death.
As for her point of view in life, Vivian Maier has been described as a Socialist, Feminist, movie critic, and tell-it-like-it-is person. She loved the theater, a place in which she learned English after growing up us a child speaking French.
Here’s the amazing part – the genius jumping-all-out-at-you part. For all those years she lived her simple, solitary life, Vivian pursued her surface-quiet passion as a street photographer, mostly using a Rollieflex camera to capture over 100,000 images of everyday people and city street still life, most of which were not even developed until after her death, And here’s the summary kicker: During her lifetime, Vivian never showed or discussed her work. Nor did she ever derive a penny’s income from all she did. Her prints and organized tins of undeveloped, but exposed film were all discovered in 200 storage boxes as the central objects of what Vivian Maier had left behind.
In discovery, these images turned out to be some of the most incredibly wholistic content pictures that anyone had ever seen. As described by one source, paraphrasing here, “It wasn’t as though we found one good picture on each roll of film. They were all great for the integrity of their content. Just different from each other, but invariably, up close and personal.”
26-year old real estate agent and Chicago neighborhood historian John Maloof deserves credit as the one who first discovered Maier’s unsigned gift to the world. He became the man who set in motion their exposure to the world through his blog, and then to the sales of all by lots to collectors, and, becoming a principal collector himself. Maloof also directed a 2013 film to show the world what they’ve been missing. He’s also written two of the three books on Maier’s life and work – and her vibrant vision of the world.
Today the building collection(s) of Vivian Maier photography has been on display at exhibitions and galleries around the world.
Check out this fairly representative site for a nice taste of Vivian’s work. There are many, many others available for the price of her name at Google:
http://www.motherjones.com/media/2011/04/vivian-maier-john-maloof
Have a nice Sunday, everybody. See and listen for the beauty in life. And celebrate the sights and sounds that roll your way.
And, come on up to the front door, Opening Day. You’re due in Houston in a little more than two days, anyway. And we’ll be happy to sit on the front porch with you til then.
Tags: Vivian Maier Photography
The Pecan Park Eagle 
March 30, 2014 at 6:01 pm |
Sort of like the stories of the painters of old who never earned cent off their work, but became world famous after their deaths. Using photography instead of a brush she was a modern equal.
March 31, 2014 at 1:36 am |
Inventive artist,with a fantastic eye for composition , remarkable work in such a dire setting,and with strangers in the city streets
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