Man Buys Undeveloped Negatives and Discovers Important Photographers of the 20th Century 

Imagine this : perhaps the most important street photographer of the twentieth century was a nanny who kept everything to herself. Nobody had ever seen her work and she was a complete unknown until the time of her death. For decades Vivian’s work hid in the shadows until decades later (in 2007), historical hobbyist John Maloof bought a box full of never developed negatives at a local auction for $380.

John began to develop the negatives and it didn’t take long before he realised that these were no ordinary street snapshots from the 50’s and 60’s — these pictures were a lot more then that. Maier’s work is particularly evocative for those who grew up in the 50′s and 60′s because she seemed to stare deep into the soul of the time and preserve the everyday experience of the people. She ventured outside the comfortable homes and picturesque residential neighborhoods of her employers to document all segments of life in and around the big city.

He embarked on a journey to find the legend who took these beautiful pictures and he quickly discovered her name: Vivian Maier.

Before he could find her, John discovered  her obituary in the newspaper of 2009 . She slipped on ice, suffered a head injury and never fully recovered. She was 83 years old when she passed away.

Since then, the work of this mysterious and incredibly talented woman has turned the art world upside down. The pictures gained international media attention with exhibitions in London, New York , Los Angeles , Oslo and Hamburg.

John has also made ​​a documentary about Vivian and her work  — you can check out the trailer below. Wow! What an incredible story and what an inspiration.

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[…] As garage and estate sells as my primary hobby, i always look for and buy bulk negatives and slides. This guy hit the jackpot Street Photography: The Mysterious Story of Vivian Maier […]

These were Not boxes of 35 mm slides…….they were boxes of developed 2 1/4 square negatives…….Vivian Maier seemed to worked exclusively with the Rolleiflex…………..

[…] “Man Buys 10.000 Undeveloped Negatives At a Local Auction and Discovers One of The Most Import… […]

[…] Street Photography: Vivian Maier- Perhaps the most important street photographer of the twentieth century was a nanny who kept everything to herself. Nobody had ever seen her work and she was a complete unknown until the time of her death. […]

[…] I can’t wait to see this film. What an amazing […]

[…] Here’s some incredible photos from the 50’s, taken by an unknown and discovered in a box of undeveloped negatives purchased at an auction. […]

I feel, those are BOXES, OF 35MM SLIDES, NOT NEGATIVES !!!!!!!!

That is what, MOST FOLKS, TOOK BACK THEN.

I was in the ,”PHOTO BUSINESS”, over 40 YEARS, and I KNOW, THOSE ARE SLIDE BOXES, she may have put her NEGATIVES, IN THEM !!!!!!

Quote from this article: “these pictures were a lot more then that.” Please correct this by changing “then” to “than.”

These were negatives, so they were indeed developed. The header should say never before printed, released, or seen. Had they not been developed it is unlikely the images would have survived to reveal both the high quality of the negative, and the photograph itself. This photographer knew what she was doing.

This is truly an incredibly fine piece of work, about a truly

fine American Master !!!! Thank you, very much !

[…] more awesome New York street photography from the past, check out our article on Vivian Maier, arguably the most important street photographer of the mid-20th century, who had the uncanny […]

[…] Street Photography: The Mysterious Story of Vivian Maier. […]

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[…] Vivian Maier – 10,000 Lost Photographs […]

[…] Man Buys 10,000 Undeveloped Negatives At a Local Auction and Discovers One of The Most Important Str…. It’s a bit more complicated than that, but great pictures. […]

[…] Man Buys 10.000 Undeveloped Negatives At a Local Auction and Discovers One of The Most Important Str… […]

[…] Man Buys 10,000 Undeveloped Negatives At a Local Auction and Discovers One of The Most Important Str…: Gold, it would seem, is not the only treasure that lucky folks have been unearthing lately. In a […]

[…] Vivian Maier’s photography is a revelation! Working as a nanny in Chicago, her unpublished negatives were discovered at an auction. Sadly, she had already passed away. She is being called one of the great street photographers of all time. To find out why, take a look here. […]

[…] After she died at 83, they found 10,000 undeveloped negatives — a stunning collection. This documentary tells her unique story. Check out some of those […]

[…] C. Lesson Sources: WebBurgr Article: Vivian Maier […]

[…] Lesson Sources: WebBurgr Article: Vivian Maier […]

[…] has been abuzz with posts about a New York nanny who secretly moonlighted as a photographer. The unknown work of Vivian Maier was discovered by John Maloof in a local art auction. Gradually, as he developed her huge body of […]

[…] John has also made ​​a documentary about Vivian and her work – What an incredible story and what an inspiration. Source Webburgr – Vivian Maier […]

[…] Man Buys 10.000 Undeveloped Negatives At a Local Auction and Discovers One of The Most Important Str… – this is a terrific example of how you just don’t know what you’ll find at your local auction.  A historical hobbyist paid $380 for a complete collection of negatives that later turns out to be the work of a relatively unknown, but very important, photographer who lived and worked in the 50’s and 60’s. […]

[…] Philosophy and Fairytales at the moment), the analysis is fascinating. •Great photographs of our past and the unsung woman who took them. •Mari Ness wonders if the sea of criticism on the Internet is […]

[…] heard of the photographer in question … until now. Check out the article and the pics here : Vivian Maier. Truly inspiring and jaw-dropping […]

[…] “Man Buys 10.000 Undeveloped Negatives At a Local Auction and Discovers One of The Most Important Street Photographers of the Mid 20th Century” : check out the work of Vivian Maier […]

[…] A História Misteriosa de Vivan Maier: http://www.webburgr.com/vivian_maier/ […]

[…] Street Photography: The Mysterious Story of Vivian Maier The discovery of Vivian maier, possibly one of the best photographers in the world. Love this. check it out, absolutely amazing! I wish I found those negatives!

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[…] Full Story: Vivian Maier […]

[…] this story. Also, I really like that the website I found it on is called Webburgr – “For the most […]

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