Astonishing trove of images discovered

<p>I love this story - an incredibly talented, self taught women who I'm sure is destined for a place in the history of the masters of Street Photography.<br>

<a href="http://www.wttw.com/main.taf?p=42%2C8%2C80&pid=A1hO97qcWo7ViDL_rWniVH2LakYxNa7J">December 22, 2010 - Vivian Maier - Chicago Tonight Video - WTTW</a><br /><br /></p>

<p>Yes, I've read about her as well and it's a wonderful story. Her work has generated a lot of interest, but not yet really it seems from the established museums and galleries. Only a small portion of the negatives seem to have been scanned, so it's hard to get a full sense of the collection. The photographs I saw on line seemed quite remarkable to me.</p>

<p>Ellis Vener posted about it about a week ago.</p>

<p>Wow, what a fantastic story. Makes one think about the two sides of photography: that of making a photograph, and that of sharing a photograph. Vivian Maier did only the former. I wonder what she thought about the latter or if she even cared about sharing her photography. Perhaps she's a Susan Boyle who never got her moment on stage.<br>

(Thanks for posting it again; I didn't see the post from Ellis.)</p>

<p>WOW! what a wonderful story.<br>

When and if my photographs and negatives are "discovered" more than likely they will end up in the trash.</p>

<p> I can hardly wait to see more and to hear more about her. Strange that her life's work just turned out to be a sale of her stuff. She deserved recognition in her own time.</p>

<p>I saw the post by Ellis Verner, and had seen something earlier as well. It's a Cinderalla story, really.</p>

<p>I think these treasure troves exist in many places. Google on Michael Farmer, or the portrait studio in Laporte, Indiana; or the anonymous New York city worker who photographed all the landmarks in New York as they were being built.... On being discovered, all of these people had also created art.</p>

<p>But...</p>

<p>I think very very few piles of negatives get saved by people cleaning out a deceased person's home or studio. Conversation by the cleaners is probably something like: "What's this? More of those little pictures? Sheesh, nobody uses film anymore - put them in the dumpster!"</p>

<p>Closer to my home, a photographer named Ernst Niebergall died in poverty in the 1950s. He'd photographed life throughout Ohio's western Lake Erie coast: early aircraft, factories, fishing boats, ice-cutting workers, children at play. All of it was nearly lost, but somebody purchased all his negatives before he died. They now reside at the Rutherford B. Hayes presidential library in Fremont, Ohio - and they're amazing. Details at link below:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.rbhayes.org/hayes/manunews/paper_trail_display.asp?nid=67&subj=manunews">http://www.rbhayes.org/hayes/manunews/paper_trail_display.asp?nid=67&subj=manunews</a></p>

<p>I firmly believe many skilled photographers shoot many amazing subjects, share very little, and die in obscurity.</p>

<p>Though I may not be in the same league as anybody I've mentioned above, it does give me pause to try to donate some images to local libraries and archivists while alive, so that some historic documentation might survive me, somehow. It's not arrogance, nor is it hoping to live forever. It's simply that I'm here, in this time, 1980-2050, let's say. I can photograph things that the people of 2050 cannot, and I can share with them. I may not travel forward in time, but my photos might, and might help teach the poeple of 2050 and beyond what life was like now.</p>

<p>Look closely at Vivian Maier's work. Parades, old busses, the people and fashions that are out of date now, vintage cars.... Quaint to me because it's not part of my time. I don't think it's arrogant for skilled photographers to try to make sure their work outlives them, if it looks to have value to future generations.</p><div></div>

<blockquote>

<p>"It's simply that I'm here, in this time, 1980-2050, let's say. I can photograph things that the people of 2050 cannot, and I can share with them. I may not travel forward in time, but my photos might, and might help teach the poeple of 2050 and beyond what life was like now."</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Well said!</p><div></div>

<p>Re my earlier post. Sorry folks, first timer. Quote attributed to Doug's comment above. My Siena pic a bit off thread I guess. Not sure where it would go. Expecting small thumbnail, unobtrusive at base. Must read up on 'how to' and protocol.</p>

<p>A documentary seems already in the making :<br>

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/800508197/finding-vivian-maier-a-feature-length-documentary</p>

<p>Amazing....simply amazing. I look forward to seeing a more complete sampling of her life's work. It is to sad that she will never get to see it appreciated. While it is so wonderful that the entire collection is in intact and so well preserved, I still find the whole story a bit sad as well. I sure hope that young man will handle the collection wisely once a dollar value starts to be placed on it. I also hope he is smart enough to document some things and get legal representation one the relatives come out of the wood work looking for their "share".</p>

<p>Jason</p>

<p>It shows the amount of work needed to assemble, and then preserve a collection of such scope. Even granting its inherent value as a body of fascinating work. I am thinking of the time that a whole collection, it could have been in the Eastman House, anyway one of the big name collections, had a tough time finding a volunteer library accepting place to assemble it all and display it all at the time, a ton of work involved. There may be money to be made, but I think we all agree that part is not at all central to the motivation here...<br /> I mean I really got to admire this young Maloof's dedication. (Wow, just getting clip tests and developing barrels of those old rolls of black and white...yipes.)<br /> She was a prolific lady, putting it mildly.<br /> " So hey tell us Viv, how many real keepers you are getting with your Rollei ? <em>What, all</em> of them you say...? "</p>

<p>Someone needs to get those old undeveloped rolls to Gene M. asap, I bet they would keep him busy for a while!</p>

<p>Even as a primarily digital shooter myself, it would be really gratifying to see true darkroom prints come from those negatives, something about that mac just seems out of place! (I know scanning them is essential anyway)</p>

<p>This is one reason why I still shoot film. It's not that I expect my own work to end up in a similar scenario but a negative is a negative. There will always be a way to make an image from it. With the way technology moves ahead and the failure of so many to back up their images (and re-back up to new storage devices) think of all these images of this remarkable lady that may have been lost if digital was around in her time.</p>

<p>Terrific story. What is important is the great commitment of Ms. Maier, even though her photography was not a full time profession. I would speculate that she did her work with full knowledge of what she was doing and why, and what it might mean some day. Her careful collection and preservation of 6x6 negatives attests to that. Without an MFA from an art college, the support from peers or the visibility of a commercial career, she ostensibly also did what she did out of interest for her surroundings and humanity. A sort of nanny to a Chicago growing up in that period. Any serious photographer would have been very happy to have known her in her lifetime. I just hope that while the young man who discovered this treasure is rewarded for his efforts, a part of any marketable value of her collection might be diverted to creating some fund in her name that reflects on her interest and commitment. </p>

<p>Terrific story. What appears to be important in the story is the obvious great commitment of Ms. Maier, even though her photography was not a full time profession or a marketable activity. It's a great example for others interested in documenting/depicting human activity. I would venture to speculate that she did her work with full knowledge of what she was doing and why, and what it might mean some day, if only to a restricted audience. Her careful collection and preservation of 6x6 negatives attests to that. Without an MFA from an art college, the support from peers, or the visibility of a commercial career, she ostensibly did what she did out of pure interest for her surroundings and humanity. A sort of nanny to a Chicago growing up in that period.</p>

<p>It is reported that she died at 83 following a fall. Presumably she had by then closed the book on her photography and lost interest in taking the negatives to prints in a thematic manner. Perhaps research of her connections with others who might have shared her thoughts will shed light on how she viewed her activity (other than the few quite considered comments she recorded on tape). Any serious photographer today would likely have been very happy to have known her in her lifetime. The young man who discovered and purchased this treasure will probably be rewarded for his efforts, but I hope that a part of any marketable value of her collection might be diverted to creating some fund in her name that reflects on her interest and commitment.</p>

<p>(Sorry about the double post. The second is the edited one.)</p>

Just for everyone that's interested in this, her work will be on display at the Chicago Cultural Center starting this Friday until April 3rd in case anyone is going to be in Chicago in the next few months. By the way the web site for the Cultural Center is www.chicagoculturalcenter.org I don't know if they will have any of her stuff on this site, but I will keep a watch out for it.

<p>I've seen the photos on vivianmaier.blogspot.com/ and they are outstanding if you like street photography. Her story reminds me of Alice Austen who was an amateur turn of the century (19th to 20th) photographer. Alice's story is even more interesting. You can Google her.</p>

<p>Wow, talk about telling a story with a photograph. She is in a league of her own. Awesome story and photographs.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >Some of her work will be on exhibit here at the Chicago Cultural Center. I'm looking forward to seeing them. Sad that she died before she attained such recognition.</p>

<p > </p>

<blockquote>

<p >Maier’s photographs and life story are gaining attention, including at the Chicago Cultural Center, where the <a title="More on the Chicago Cultural Center exhibit" href="http://www.explorechicago.org/city/en/things_see_do/event_landing/events/dca_tourism/FindingVivianMaier_ChicagoStreetPhotographer.html" target="_blank">exhibit “Finding Vivian Maier: Chicago Street Photographer”</a> opens Friday.</p>

</blockquote>

<p><a href="http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/2973223-421/maier-maloof-vivian-chicago-negatives.html">http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/2973223-421/maier-maloof-vivian-chicago-negatives.html</a></p>

<p>Doh! Missed Don's post saying this will be on display. </p>