02-11-2023, 03:05 PM
Some years ago I saw the movie that was inspired by the discovery of the large collection of negatives that Vivien Maier stored away but were never seen during her lifetime. The video link above raises the question, "why did she take so many photographs and nor show them to anyone?" Most of us amateurs who like to play with photography want to show at least some pictures to others in the hope that they will attract a positive comment. Vivian Maier was different, and we must conclude that she photographed for herself. Something in a scene must have resonated with her so that she wanted to preserve it, but not communicate to other people.
The website devoted to her includes a description of her as seen by others that is probably as close to the truth as we are likely to get:
"The personal accounts from people who knew Vivian are all very similar. She was eccentric, strong, heavily opinionated, highly intellectual, and intensely private. She wore a floppy hat, a long dress, wool coat, and men’s shoes and walked with a powerful stride. With a camera around her neck whenever she left the house, she would obsessively take pictures, but never showed her photos to anyone. An unabashed and unapologetic original."
The website devoted to her includes a description of her as seen by others that is probably as close to the truth as we are likely to get:
"The personal accounts from people who knew Vivian are all very similar. She was eccentric, strong, heavily opinionated, highly intellectual, and intensely private. She wore a floppy hat, a long dress, wool coat, and men’s shoes and walked with a powerful stride. With a camera around her neck whenever she left the house, she would obsessively take pictures, but never showed her photos to anyone. An unabashed and unapologetic original."