Here’s something that doesn’t happen every day. Vivian Maier, a Chicago nanny who passed away in 2009, has been discovered to be a closet street photographer, working from the 1950s to 1990s. Based on a just a scratching of the surface of some 100,000 negatives, her work looks to be absolutely masterful. Here is a clip from a recent Chicago TV broadcast on Vivian:
UPDATE: If you don’t have a Flash-enabled browser and can’t see the video above, go to http://www.wttw.com/chicagotonight/video/A1hO97qcWo7ViDL_rWniVH2LakYxNa7J
Read more on the tribute blog started by John Maloof, who discovered her work at an auction. The blog includes John’s story of the discovery, plus links to other media commentary on her photography.