Have you ever heard the name “Vivian Maier”?
No?
Neither had I. Until now.
And I will bet, you soon will hear her name. Because she is one of the greatest photographers who lived – and we are just discovering her, posthumously.
There are many layers to this truly gripping story.
Back in the 1950’s, Vivian Maier was a nanny. A camera-toting nanny. Who would walk the street of New York City and Chicago with her charges or alone on her days off taking street portraits. Thousands of them. Amazing, beautiful, real, portraits. Each one telling an entire story captured in a single image.
And it was her own little secret.
No one knew.
She locked her door to her room, stashed her camera and film, and shared her secret talent with no one. Ever.
Fast forward to 2007.
A Chicago real estate agent and historical hobbyest, John Maloof, purchases a trunk that was found in an abandoned storage locker that was filled with roughly 10o,000 undeveloped film negatives, 700 rolls of undeveloped color film, and 8mm and 16mm movies all for $380 at a local auction house.
As he began to develop the negatives, it was immediately apparent that these were extraordinary images. So he began quest to discover who the secret photographer behind-the-lens was – and the story behind the hidden images.
Luckily, he was able to uncover the artist as this woman, Vivian Maier, from the self portraits she took of herself on her walks.
Take a look at this chilling trailer from the soon to be released documentary “Finding Viven Maier”.
I cannot wait to see this documentary and an exhibit of her work. I have so many burning questions – as I’m sure you do now as well. Such as – how did she get so close to people to capture these intimate portraits when she herself was so shy? Why did she not share her passion for photography with anyone? And why were all those negatives undeveloped?
I hope we get the answers, but even if we are left to wonder, I’m grateful that we have her unforgettable images left to enjoy.
What do you think of her photography? What burning questions do you have about Vivian Maier? And who wants to go check out the documentary with me when its released?
~Amy
