Vivian Maier: Come Out of the Shadows

by Rachel White | Mar 21, 2013 | Stories | 28 comments

Vivian Maier: Come Out of the Shadows by Rachel S

Recently, I had the privilege of attending one of the most fascinating and enjoyable lectures in my recent memory – author Richard Cahan and collector Jeffrey Goldstein spoke about the life and works of Vivian Maier. Maier remains one of the most mysterious street and documentary photographers of the mid 20th Century – she was a complete unknown until the time of her death in 2009. If you’re unfamiliar with her work or the story of her accidental discovery, I’m happy to introduce you to this prolific talent.

Vivian Maier – Goldstein Collection

Vivian Maier’s work was first discovered in Chicago in 2007 when boxes of 3000+ prints, 100,000+ negatives and hundreds of undeveloped rolls of film, hidden within several abandoned storage units, were sold at auction in separate lots. In 2009, Maier died at the age of 83 before her work was ever publically recognized or exhibited. This was also the year that the world was first introduced to Maier’s work by John Maloof. Over the next few years, the near totality of her prints, negatives and film were purchased by a few collectors. The most well known anthologies of Maier’s work are the John Maloof Collection and the Jeffrey Goldstein Collection. Her work is undeniably evocative, nostalgic, and inspiring.

Vivian Maier – Goldstein Collection

Vivian Maier initially became recognized for her Chicago street photography. She captured the essence and vibrance of her surroundings, particularly in the city. Maier’s work is particularly evocative for those who grew up in the 50’s and 60’s because she seemed to stare deep into the soul of the time and preserve the everyday experience of the people. She ventured outside the comfortable homes and picturesque residential neighborhoods of her employers to document all segments of life in and around the big city.

Vivian Maier – Goldstein Collection

My first introduction to Maier was through her “looking glass” self-portraits and came via my good friend across the seas – photographer Gavin Gordon, who has since instigated #vivianmaierportrait appreciation projects on Instagram and Google+. The moment I laid eyes on Maier’s work, I was hooked. Maier was a fiercely private person and in the majority of her perfectly composed self-portraits, she appears stoic.

Vivian Maier – Goldstein Collection

Since that first encounter, I’ve enjoyed shooting myself in the occasional “Viv” style. Naturally, the exhibition of her work was an appropriate venue for a couple ‘Viv in Viv’ portraits 🙂

Inside Inspiration :: by Rachel Sawyer

Born in New York, Maier spent much of her youth in France. Starting in the late 1940s, she shot an average of a roll of film a day. She moved to Chicago in the mid-1950s, and spent the next 40 years working as a nanny. Maier shot many of her most iconic pictures while working for various suburban Chicago families – including Phil Donahue – a job that allowed her to periodically travel both domestically and abroad, as shown in her photographs of New York, South Dakota, Florida, California, as well as the rural pastures of Southern France.

Vivian Maier – Goldstein Collection