Over the past weeks we have come across a certain lady more than once - newspapers mentioned her, TV programmes did brief features about her, blogs have picked up this fantastic story, and friends circulated her name - Vivian Maier.
If you were to google this name now, you would find an array of links about this talented woman who sadly passed away in 2009 before she could witness her popularity in the art world. Then again, she might have never been interested in acquiring fame, countless of her negatives were still undeveloped in rolls when John Maloof bought thousands of them at an auction in Chicago. Little did he guess what he had come across - some of the best street photography.
Vivian Maier lived in a suburb of Chicago working as a nanny, she must have traveled quite a bit as many of her photographs captured moments witnessed in foreign countries. She had an incredible eye for photography, all her images seem to speak volumes about the moment they were taken. Many of her belongings were in storage and had to be auctioned off as she was ill; she sadly passed away a day before John Maloof decided to try and contact her, unfortunately he only found her obituary and so many questions were left unanswered.
Her boxes also contained several tape recordings; on one of them she said the following about leaving this life :
''Well I suppose nothing lasts forever. We have to make room for other people. It's a wheel. You get on, you have to go to the end. And then somebody has the same opportunity to go to the end and so on. And somebody else takes their place.''
We feel that she has given us a beautiful, lasting gift and that she has achieved so much while it was her 'turn'. What a shame she didn't live to realise just how happy her photography made others.
For more information on Vivian Maier and her photography see here, here, here and here
Today also sees the opening of an exhibition of London street photography at the Museum of London which we cannot wait to see.
Inspired by Vivian Maier and her stunning testaments of the past we have had a look around Alfies and found some lovely items.
Great images of times gone by can be found at Daumieres on the Second Floor
French marble Art Deco frame, English bakelite Art Deco frame & English WW2 Halifax aeroplane with ashtray from Robinson Antiques on the Ground Floor
A selection of vintage luggage and clothing from Tin Tin Collectibles on the Ground and First Floor
Our take on architecture photography.An architectural model of an unrealised project by Sir Basil Spence from the 1970s
available from Anouska Hunter Antiques on the Second Floor
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