Vivian Maier

    Vivian Maier 1926-2009. And this would be all that anybody would know of her. No family, no known friends, never married, worked all her life as a nanny. Except for a secret life she hid from everybody. Hidden in storage lockers, whose contents where auctioned off for non payment, were thousands of negatives and undeveloped film. And if it wasn't for John Maloof, they would be lost for all time.
     The other day at a Barnes and Noble, one of the last bookstores now, I stumbled on a book about her work. On its cover is a striking self portrait of her, half in shadow, holding the Rolleiflex she had used to take most of the shots with. I can only imagine what people in those days thought of her walking around taking shots with a big camera. Those same looks happen to this day to me. Upon opening it and reading the bio I was awed! Inside the book was the most awesome array of photos of a time long gone to history, in stunning quality and detail that would put most pros to shame today. And this was a simple woman, self taught by all accounts, she processed her own film, a nanny. And in the end those three boys who thought she was Marry Poppins  to them when she was their nanny, took care of her till the end. No one knows why she told no one. But today her work lives on . 
The book is published by Powerhouse books. Its a must have for your library.
  http://www.vivianmaier.com/
http://www.vivianmaierprints.com/index.html
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