While the rest of the world may be hearing of her story for the first time, in Chicago the story has become familiar. Chicago is where “Viral Vivian” emerged, where the major players in her story reside, and where the press has incessantly reported on the triumphs of her works’ exposure, and some locals are now “Vivian Maiered-out.” In the summer of 2014, prints from Jeffrey Goldstein’s collection were exhibited simultaneously in four separate Chicago- area venues. The abundance of photographs threatened to water down Maier’s oeuvre, doing her no favor in its presentation. A local newspaper headlined an article “Vivian Maier: Cottage Industry.” A local writer penned his version of the saga and called it “The Vivian Mire.”
The scuffles around ownership of Vivian Maier’s legacy have diminished her presence, relegating her to the background in her own photographs. In many ways, Vivian Maier’s world was established before she was born: she perpetuated the legacy of her mother and grandmother, who were live- in servants, and her mother’s illegitimate birth established the first in a line of family secrets. Maier entered the world of photography, which like her took shape in both France and New York and, like her, has no simple lineage. Vivian Maier’s multiple shooting strategies remained constant. Her earliest known photographs reveal a confident and informed photographer— not a “street photographer” or a “suburban nanny photographer.” Maier and her photography were all of that and much more.
Vivian Maier’s story is a more complex story than a few short phrases can describe. We need to thoroughly understand both it and her if we are to accurately honor her life and legacy.