Families who employed Maier have described her as intensely private, a woman who walked with a purposeful stride and made no secret that she took pictures, she would spend her time off from her caring duties walking the streets and even travelling to other countries. Described as eccentric, she never married nor had children, often wore men’s shoes and it’s said that she claimed to have taught herself to speak English from watching plays. Others who claim to have known her, offer opinions that Maier was outspoken and strong of mind, happy to chat about the world but not at all open about herself.

The final years of Maier’s life feel nothing short of tragic, in a life story that gives us a single woman who, unusually for the times, travelled alone and daringly explored her surroundings to capture life in some extremely run down and deprived areas. It’s with a heavy heart that we learn that at some point between the late nineties and the early millennium years she suffered homelessness and the uncertainty of living on short term lets. These challenges in her later years forced Maier to put many of her belongings into storage including her photography equipment and her vast collection of negatives and rolls of undeveloped film.

Pointing strongly to the fact that Maier was a truly caring person (a few stories have emerged that would imply otherwise), she kept in touch with many of the families that she had provided care for.  However, her pride meant that she never seemed to ask for help, no matter how dire her circumstances became.  It was this continued contact that would finally save her from the streets and her insalubrious surroundings.

The now grown up children from one family she had worked with for fourteen years insisted she move in to an apartment they rented for her.  But, it would seem that she never returned to collect the parts of her life she’d squirrelled away in to storage. Was it lack of money or just something she might get round to one day? Another question we may never really know the answer to. Eventually in 2007 Maier’s stored items were auctioned due to rent arrears and sold off as separate lots, breaking up the collection and scattering it amongst an array of buyers, one of which was Maloof.

In 2008 Vivian Maier slipped as she walked on ice, the bump on the head she sustained was not life threatening but she never made a full recovery and was moved to a care home in 2009. It is here where the woman who had spent her life as a carer seemed to refuse to be the one receiving the care.

One can only speculate but if Maier was a free spirit inside that controlled exterior, finding herself in surroundings with no freedom to continue with life as she wished to live it (which includes being somewhat of a hoarder) this situation may

glimpses into the eyes of the photographer and whilst it’s fascinating to put a face to the artist, when so much about her thought process is unknown, she still remains something of an enigma.

The intrigue and mystery of the nanny from Chicago has captured the world but we may never truly know what it was that drove Maier to record life in this private manner. It seems unlikely that she would describe her relationship with the camera as an outlet to fearlessly explore the world around her but what can’t be doubted is the fact that her personal studies with her camera have created a chapter of social documentary that has made the world of photography a much richer place.

“Finding Vivian Maier” has been on general release in the USA from 31st March 2014
Discover more of Vivain Maier’s work at: www.vivianmaier.com