(Video link here.) A couple of years ago, we wrote about the discovery of a trove of photographs by Vivian Meier, who, while working as a nanny in Chicago and New York during the 50′s and 60′s, was secretly photographing the cities’ street-life during her time off. It was not until years after her death that her enormous body of photographic work was found, quite by accident, in a battered trunk bought at auction.
Maier was private, eccentric, and determined in her pursuit: a true artist committed to her singular vision, which she quietly funded through her work as a nanny. Her work is an evocative and incisive record of a time long gone, and of a truly improvised life. She is a fine role model for those doubting the possibility of leaving anything meaningful in the world because they are constrained to take paying work they don’t love. Viviane did what she loved ANYWAY, in her spare time, and left a signifigant legacy behind.
Here’s a trailer for a film about the astonishing story of the discovery of her work and her mysterious life. We can’t wait to see it.
You can view Maier’s work at this ongoing archive of her work. Here are few of our favorites:
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Vivian Maier: Street Photographer
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