In 2008 an auction house in Chicago included in their catalogue a collection of black and white photo prints from the 1930s through to the 1990s, together with a box of over 1,000 undeveloped Kodak Tri-X 120 films, of no apparent interest to anyone apart from photographers.
"I go to this auction house often to pick up antique items and such," said John Maloof, "but I was working on a project that day that required historic photos of the neighborhood so I was looking for old local photos at that time."
A Remarkable Collection of Black and White Photography
Intrigued by the story of the collection having been discovered abandoned in a storeroom, he studied the work a little more closely and realised that this was something very special. He bought the entire collection, unaware at the time of who the photographer was.
Not until several months later, while he was working through the rolls of undeveloped film, did he discover Maier's name written on a photolab envelope tucked in amongst the collection. He contacted the auction house and asked if he might get in contact with the photographer. He discovered she was ill, so, thinking it might be intrusive to disturb her, he went back to working on the films.
Again he tried to find her, fascinated by her work. Still drawing a blank he finally Googled her name, only to find her obituary published in the Chicago Tribune. She had died just three days before his online search.
Street Photography Through Vivian Maier's Eyes
Maloof talks about the regret and disappointment he felt upon discovering her obituary. By now he was following in her footsteps with his own camera, learning from her and recreating the images he'd been working on for so long. He credits her with his growing passion for photography: "Vivian taught me to walk slower, get closer, pay more attention to light."
His continuing search led him to the Central Camera Company in downtown Chicago, a photographic store established at the end of the nineteenth century. The staff remembered her well. Maier used Rolleiflex cameras as well as 35mm and knew what she was talking about; according to them she was a self-contained, purposeful woman who knew her mind and what she wanted.
Finally Maloof had some luck. He had sent a message to the people who had placed the obituary but they had moved on with no forwarding address. He tried again, with an address he had found amongst the collection, and this time managed to reach John, Lane and Matthew, whom Vivian looked after as a nanny when she came to Chicago, and who were mines of information and detail about Vivian's life. Finally there was flesh and substance, giving him a full and rounded picture of the woman who had taken these remarkable photographs.
A Celebration of the Life of a Street Photographer
Maier was born in New York in 1926 and moved to France while still a child; her mother was French and her father Austrian. She returned to New York as a young woman, apparently fiercely anti-Catholic, proudly French, and a feminist. She moved to Chicago, took on her position as a nanny and lived with the children and their family in a Chicago suburb. It was a rich and full cultural and intellectual time for her; the photographs document her global travels as well as her Chicago life.
The obituary in the Chicago Tribune dated 23 April 2009, three days after her death, reads as follows: "Vivian Maier, proud native of France and Chicago resident for the last 50 years died peacefully on Monday. Second mother to John, Lane and Matthew. A free and kindred spirit who magically touched the lives of all who knew her. Always ready to give her advice, opinion or a helping hand. Movie critic and photographer extraordinaire. A truly special person who will be sorely missed but whose long and wonderful life we all celebrate and will always remember." (reprinted with the kind permission of the Chicago Tribune.)
There is of course much more. Maloof is pursuing projects bringing together the best examples of this French photographer's work, and describing her life and creativity in much greater detail. They are fitting tributes to a woman who was passionate about art, culture and photography and who clearly gave so much of herself to the young people who grew up under her care. She has left a remarkable legacy.
Vivian Maier's photographs are from the John Maloof Collection and are published with the kind permission of John Maloof.
Vivian Maier 1 February 1926 - 20 April 2009
UPDATE: Maloof's projects are blossoming into a true celebration of this previously unknown photographer's unique views of life: a documentary about her life and work, exhibitions in Chicago, and the intention to show these remarkable black and white photographs worldwide.
Suzanne Bosworth - Suzanne Bosworth BA (Hons) - a professional writer published in magazines, journals and websites, specialising in arts, history and ...
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