r n 2007. whil~ working on a d~nni!i.~ hj.

lory of my I'I<'¡ghborhood of Portag~ Pork on

Ine NOrlh"",.t Side 01 Chic.SO, I acciden1ally .tumbled upon Ihe photographic cache of
Vivi." Maier. The chain of evento lhal Ini. disrovery..,1 in motion ha. since tumed ¡he
world of slreel photography, u _11 a< rny life. upside down. Wha! beg.n .. my per.,,,,,,1
p.ssion ha. caught ¡he public~. 000 I have now 'p<'nt Ihe l.", th~ yea .. p~~ing and
a",hiving Maido Vi'" body of worlt which ohe had kepl se<:...., ro, ~ fifty Y"ors.

Viv;"n Maier wu deeply inter..!...:! in Ihe ....-orld around her. Having pickM up photography
.roun<! 1950. ,he cOfItinued lo t.~ .""pshots into ¡he ]ate 1990s. uhimately le. ving behind.
body of work compri-'''8 over ooc hund .... d lnou .. nd ,,"S,tives. Elderly folk congregating in
Chic.go"s OId Poli.., D<>wntowll. gario.hly d .... «ed dowage..s. and Ihe urna" African_Amorkan
""ri""
... ""'ienee ........... 011 r.ir ga"'" ro, Maiers I~ns. Additionally Mai~rs vision ~"t~nd"" to a of
homem~ fLlms and audio re<:ordings. Bits of Americana. thed~molilion ofhisloric landmorks
for new d""elopment. the un""en Ji"".
of th~ downtrodden and the d""i'ute . • s well a. ""e",,",
from 50~ of Chic"ll0·' """,t cheri..,"" sit"" wer~ .11 .ub;ecls Mai~r continuously ,..,visit"" .

Yel the combinalion of Maier'. intense privacy and lad of confodence in her own photo-
graphi< prow.:s ..... arty ",."It..,.in her collechon being con,ign"" 'o oblivion. tf..." for an
improbabl~ sel of cirrurrutanc"", M.i~'s icorne irn"ll"" would ha"" be~n scatte",d actoS< sto .....
age lockers Sluff..,. lo the brim wilh found ilems .• " books, """"Pap'" clippings. r.ome ~Ims.
politica l Icootchk ... and knickJ<nack •.

I have alw . yo bu" fond of. quote by M . i~, from an audio ffi:ording .h~ made whe,e_
can hea, h~, philosophi.~ aboul the meaning of Iif~ and death; ·We ha"" lo make room fo,
olher people. 11"•• whecl-you ger en yo" go to Ihe end. and someo .... else ha. 'he .ame
oppo"unity to go to the end. .nd so on..nd somebody ~Ise t.kes t~, place. Therú nothing
nL"W und~r tbe sun:

M hunger for her image; hos grown. t h."" ~n pu.h..,. into lhe rol ~ of custodi.n ofVivi.n
Maie,s poolO!!raphic lega"V. Thanks to this. .nd the popular demand ror insight into M.ie,"
lif~ and .". 1 hove had Ihe ¡>tivi ltge of sharing Ih~ .Iage wilh sorne of Ih~ ...."lid'. top photO!!ra-
phers. tI"•• imultaneously a vel)' humbling and extremely .urrea l e"perience.

From Ih~ ""'1' beginning I hav~ sel oul to p~rv~ Maid, .tti'lic legacy Ihe "righl' ..... ay, 1I is
my .incer. hop" Ihal ,hi. book caplures the ••sen<:<: of her contributjon lo SI"",t photography,

-I<>hn Maloof
Chic"llo. 201l
 t orr"'on.lly h"p~", th.ot " writer who w"' unllble lo rond a publi.her i. discove,M.
1 afie, his o, he, dut~ lo ha"" wriuen • masterpi ..u . lohn K"n~dy Toolú A COllf~rary
o{ Dunc~ is an ... . mpl .. of this-and ef Ir.. way Iha! the t .. ,m "ma""rpi~"" gel. appliffi
almo .. as compe""'tion for lhe regrettable delay. In lhe WQ,ld of photography there ore nI"
~rous diffe,ent V<'rsions ef thi. story. Photogr.phe", can amas< a body of woto "nd then
dis'pp".r f",m .ighl. Som"ti~ th~ Mjoy. MgI"U "f f."",."" C<'lehrity lE. O. Hoppt. Id.
Kar) befor .. suc<:umbing lo an obscurj'y ¡ha! i. only lifted posthumously. Some~mes they "'ere
appreci.led in phot<>i!raphy drcl". (William Gedney) .nd then faM<! ""en f",m the vi"w of
,""ir f'Hu. Occasionally ¡he wort i. discove'M in ti"", rot ¡he photographer 10 "njoy bel.te<!
r«:<>gnit ion In hi. or he, OWn lif01ime. Ir Larligue was ¡he gre.t " .. mple of ,his. ,hen Miros.l.v
Tkhy ..... a•• n ¡">tance of ¡he weirder syndrome whereby discovel)' come .., belate<lly lh.11 ac-
claim felt posthumous even whil~ he was alive. Then th~re i• ..,meone like E. r. B~lIocq .bout
wh~ .... "0'" and life .lmOSI nothing was known until aft .... his death.

Vivi." Maier represen~ an e"",me i".ta""" of po .. humou. discovery. 01 ..,meo""

who e,ist. enti",ly in termO of what sh.. so"'. NOI only wa. sh .. enlir .. ly unknown lo Ihe pho_
lographic world. hardly anyone Sttmed lo know Ihal .he even look pholograph •. While Ihi.
Sttm. unfOnUtlale. pe,hap. even cruel-a sym~om o, "de effea of lhe f""llhal she neve,
marrie<l or had children. and Of'Par~ntly had no dese friends_it al.., sal" .ornrlhing about lhe
unknowab~ potential of all human beings ..... Wis",wo S.ymborsk> ",rites of Homer in r...r

poem "'Censu. " No one knows what he do.-. in hi •• p.are lime:

M
:

This alert. us lo a ",mole possibilily_or ralr...r lo two .ersions of o "mil.. possibility.

Firsl. Ihal one of Ihe ~ple phologropl>ed on Ihe slreel by Maier mi8ht olso hO~ been > doset
pholograpr..., who p>Jrsued tr... some hobby with a sh.",d obsess.i~,...... Se<:ond. that if we
..,arthe<llong and hord we might fLnd Maier in irnage. t.k~n on Ihe strerl by On~ ofth~ f,mou.
photographers whO'le work her own occosionolly resembl ....

The numerou. glimpseo in thi. bool< 01 scen~. ",minisc~m of lisoene Model. He~n
levil1 (in both black-and -...."'ile and color).Oí.""
Arbu$. And~ Kerto!u. Walk~r Eva"" and

"
oH~1"$ ,aí$<'< queslion, .t.oul I~ exlenl of Ma íe" kr>OWledge of Ihese pholog .. p~ ...nd
of Ihe large, hislory of I~ med ium. DOcI s~ I.M> ce .... in pielures ~.use. consei"".ly or
001. Ih~y resembl..-d work s~ r.ad ..... n in exhibilions or m.ga.i~.? Or is il jusI coincidence
(..... hich. a, one of Oon DeUlIo·, ehar.cle" observes in Libr~. ··i, . seience wa iling 'o be d iscov-
ered··)? ~,haps Ihi. poinl. loo. c.n be usefully rever>e<:l: do "'" re.pond lo Ih"se picture. $O
reodily ~ause "'" know 1M work of Mod~1 el al and ..... Ineir ghosl' in Maier. work?

Eilhe, .....ay. il i. importanllo retain a sense of crilical p""pe<live. A/le, Ihe inevilable
s.houl fmm lhe roo/lops lo aU,,,,,1 lhe 'Uenlion • diseovery hke Ihis dese"",s. it is nol r;eces"ry
lo exagge,ale I~ value 01 Ihe ...."rk in oroe, lo be.IOW on illhe qualily of. mirad". Majer i.
an importanl addilion 'o lhe e.roon of ..reet pho'ography; oome of he' images a' e oulSland ing.
Sul even teaving a,ide Ihe que.lion of qualily- and Ihe quanlily of quali'y- lhe discovery_lag
mean'lhal M.iers wo,k has no! played ;1. pa'" in .haping r.ow "'" se., Ih~ wo,ld in I~ w.y Ih.1
",bu. h.. leven if oh" seem. occasionally lo hove ch.n<..-d On "'bu.ian subjec1S before "'bu.),
11 necessarily h •• 'he quali'y of visual echo, • series of echoes ,ha' serve lhe usefu l pU'F"'S" of
que.lionins lhe w.ys in whieh phologra¡>l1ie idenlily and <lyle- more dosely bound up wilh
conlcnllr.an any olhe, me<hum-are establi.hed and define<!,

One " pe<1 of Maier, conlenl exi ,l. in particularly lelling rel.,ion lo he, .Iyle and ,i,u _
alion. M.ny of he, pielures of ...."men sr.ow lhem squ"""..-d historieaUy_tnei , dOIMos are Ir."
~.p,ession of this-bet .......... n Ihe na,rowly confln ing rol... of tr." 19505 and 1M ollen frus"aled
freedom. of 1M 19600 and l>ey<>nd . Maier ".rne<! Mr living in lhe .. me ..... ay as thal quin,,,o-
sential ftgure ofVieto, i.n fletion, the nanny (01 gover~ss); 'n oul.ide, whos<' p,ivileg..-d acee ..
lo dome<l;C life perm it.lr." &velopment of no gill othe, lhan observalion. In M. ie" case it
i. as if. sen.ibilily " xqui.ilely adapl..-d lo, and Ir." robuS! prodUCI 0<. lhese long presetibed
c;rcum.lance._ of which he, clolh,,$. I~ habilual Aoppy hal and eOllI. a,e 1M perfecl expre._
.ion _ ha< t>een se! free lo di;creetly prowl lhe . Ireet. of ChicaSo and New York_ There is,
inevilably_ a poignan<y about Ir." ..... ay Maier ..... os dra ..... n lo old lodi ... who ",rve as prophetic
representalion. of ~r own deslin)" solilary. kooky -looking, wrapped up in overooo". harbor_
ing so""'" lifelong secrel inluiled b~ Ihe come, .. gift 01 momenlary ocruliny.

"
,,,
"1
,,'
,,,
'"
,,,
'"
'"
>O,
'"
'"
'"
'"
'"
'"
'"
>O,
'"
'"
'"
'"
'"
'"
'"
'"
,,,
"1
«,
,<>
'"
,,,
<O,
,.,
-------. ---._---=-:~==:.::-;:-_.,_. _~ , --~-..,..,
---

'"
,,,
"1
'"
,,'
,,,
'"
,,,
'"
."
,,,
lOO
.,
'"
'"
'"
 .
"1 . .
"

'"
.
,
'"
,,,
In
,,'
,,,
'"
'"
I~
'"
."
.,
lOó
'"
'"
..,
.
,
'"
'"
'"
'"
'"
'"
'"
'"
'"
'"
., ....

100 I
1101
1021
1103
".,
•
- -- -

1107
1081
11 01
1121
1113
11 41
1115
1161
11 17
120 I
¡ 3m thankful and tooch~ d by th~ count l= oígns of s uppor! I h.,~ r<"C~i~d in my dforts
10 en.... ", Vivian . distingu ished place in the hi"OJ)l of S!f'C'C1 pholography. While Iher..
• '" m.ny .....ho M '" 3;"'-'<1 ~Ihroughout Ihi. pro,...,!, I would li"" to ;;ocknov.iedge Ih"",
~pJe ",;thoul whom completion of Ihi. bao\: would nol ha ..... boen possible: My wif" D",w
ror he, ""l id love and suppoM. Anthony Ry<lzon .00 Dan Pogorzelski fo, Ihe;, h<>lp ",iln scan-
ning f>hotoo a nd ,,,..,areh • .,.¡"ance, as w e ll '" Martín Fuchs who.., advke a nd • ."istance ",ilh
nu",",rouS ed il> and ,he ~a ll design ha. _ n crucia l. 1 would . Iso ti"" l o thank AIl .n 5<\:ul.
wn"", ¡nilial COy"... ] w as a priceless guide in p",serving Vivia/l"' wor\:. and lo SI.nley wlOO-
kowsJ:i for hi• • >Si.lance with he' COUIl']"" neS0ti ....... Finally. I ",ould lilce lO ",,' .. nd my grati -
tude 10 Cindy O'Connor. who .. arly on <:Qnvin<;ed m e 'O see !hi. rhl'Qugh lO ,he er>d a. well n
to I ~I M'"Yerowilz for his gu idanc.. and menloting w""n il ",as n.. ~. lhis book is a bel"'r
lestamen! lo Vivian"•• rtistic ~bilily Ihonks lo you. eff<>rts. 000 1 'p¡>rec¡ole you 011 fe. il"
 Vi vian iVIaier
S lrCC I Pllo l.ograp ll cl'
Compil,tóoo C> 2011 _-.,tHouse &001<0.0><1 fohn ..... 1001
PI>o'O$raph. C> 2011 VI";'" Mo, ..
Introduchon el 2011 'olm ..... 1001
Fo",w<>rd c> :roll Geoff Oye.

No 1"" 01 th., I>ook may be ",produce<! in o"y ""',u,." in o"y medio.

o' ".n.mi"O<I by .oy """n' wh"SOO""r, cI«1CO"IC or m«~n",. 1
II"dudioS phot<><:opy. mm Of .;deo Tocordin8_ Interne! pO>1in¡.
o. '''y otl><, infOfm.'ion .. or.", .00 ",,,,,,y. 1'Y" em).
w;'hou' ,11< p''''' ,,'';'"'' permi ..ion 01",1>< publi .... '.

f>ub! iohed in ,"" Un,'O<! S.. , .. by "",,",r~ou .. I.00I<..

• divi. ",,, 01 """"rtlou.. Cultural Ente".inmen'. 'oc .
37 M.in Strff'. Brookly"- NY 11201_1011
t.t.phorl< 112 604 9074. f.x 212 366 5247
<. mall, y;.i.anmao<'.p"".... Hou ..IkIc'..com
_boj,., wwv.'.pow.rHouselklckMOm
Fi,., <d ilion. 201 1

Llbrary 01 Con¡"," (M'ro! Numb<~ 101193392$

E600K ISBN 978+57686·633-6

Prod..ced by: e .. 18 (<>he"

DiSó,.1 post productOo", 01 'he phoIOfI"ph" Mo"in F..:h. 1< Me¡.an r . r1«r
Jack.t d ..;¡,,: M.... in fuch. ¡, Krzys<lof l'oIucllow;c,
5001< dnisn; K.... yn'of 1'oI",,"'wk.
-\ ¡, ¡,,,. \Ia;",' "'1'''''''' .I~ .n ,.,In ·!!!" j, ,,'~, ..... nr I~ ,,' h 'u ""',, dj"'m ,.,~:
, ,r ,.. "",', "". "h",·, j"s ,., ,1 i n·I., j" lo' ",.s "r " h", ,lo,· ""'. \ ni "" l., mI>
, 1... ,. "" j "'1,' "U Lu.."" '" 11 ". I.h,,' ()~~ .. I ,lo j, . '" ,,1, 1. h.• "U.' "" """..,,~~ "'" I
,.. ~"()" ,1",1 ,1,,· '·'·PI! 1<>uL phu,"{o..... I.Io<.-