Vivian Maier

About the Author

Vivian Maier (1926-2009) was a reclusive American street photographer whose extraordinary body of work remained hidden from the public during her lifetime, only to be discovered posthumously and hailed as a masterpiece of 20th-century visual storytelling. Born in New York City to French and Austrian parents, Maier spent much of her life as a nanny in Chicago, quietly capturing the pulse of urban life through her lens. Her images, taken with a Rolleiflex camera, reveal a keen eye for the overlooked moments of humanity—the faces of strangers, the grit of city streets, and fleeting expressions of joy and sorrow. After her death, her archive of over 150,000 negatives and prints was unearthed, transforming her from an anonymous caregiver into an iconic figure in photography. Maier's legacy endures as a testament to the power of unassuming observation, inspiring generations to see the world anew.