Book Review: ‘Vivian Maier Developed’ by Ann Marks

In 2007, an old woman’s stored possessions were sold in a foreclosure auction in Chicago. Among hoarded newspapers and other mementoes was a vast photographic archive. This book explores the story behind those photographs, amassed over many decades by an enthusiastic amateur photographer and children’s nanny, Vivian Maier.

The unearthed photographs were to become an internet sensation, and Maier is now seen by many is an important twentieth-century photographer.

Maier was a private, sometimes troubled individual whose story proved difficult to track down. The fascinating story Ann Marks has managed to unearth provides important background to Maier’s photographs, many of which are marvellous.