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The story of this nanny who has now wowed the world with her photography, and who incidentally recorded some of the most interesting marvels and peculiarities of Urban America in the second half of the twentieth century is seemingly beyond belief.
An American of French and Austro-Hungarian extraction, Vivian bounced between Europe and the United States before coming back to New York City in 1951.
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After working for some time in a sweatshop, Vivian made her way to the Chicago area's North Shore in 1956 where she worked as a nanny on and off for about 40 years, staying with one family for 14 of them. She was, in the accounts of the families for whom she worked, very private, spending her days off walking the streets of Chicago and taking photographs, most often with a Rolleiflex camera.
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Toward the end of her life, Maier may have been homeless for some time. She lived on Social Security and may have had another source of income, but the children she had taken care of in the early 1950s bought her an apartment in the Rogers Park area of Chicago and paid her bills.

Blixa wrote:Yay!!!! One of my all time favorites! Such great work and such a great back story.

I can't imagine doing street photography with such a relatively clunky camera. It's hard enough to do it with a relatively unobtrusive digital. Even my tiny Zumi can be spotted. I've had to do most of my work from inside a car, which brings with it its own logistical problems.

Thanks for highlighting her ethnic background. I had, of course, missed that!

Quasimodo wrote:

Blixa wrote:Yay!!!! One of my all time favorites! Such great work and such a great back story.

I can't imagine doing street photography with such a relatively clunky camera. It's hard enough to do it with a relatively unobtrusive digital. Even my tiny Zumi can be spotted. I've had to do most of my work from inside a car, which brings with it its own logistical problems.

Thanks for highlighting her ethnic background. I had, of course, missed that!

I cut my teeth on a Rollei. I found it anything but clunky. You should try one, Blixa. Being able to frame your image at waist lever has advantages. You can also shoot sideways while facing a different direction from your subject. Even around a corner if you hold up to your face.

I still have mine.