And again about the legendary Vivienne Meyer

Vivien Dorothy Mayer was an American amateur street photographer. She was born in New York but grew up in France. Back in the US, she worked as a nanny in Chicago for about 40 years. Over the years, they took about 100,000 photographs, mostly of people and places in Chicago, although she traveled frequently. Her photographs remained unknown until they were found in 2007 by local historian and collector John Maloof. After Mayer's death, her work attracted critical and public attention. We have already published her photos, but this time we decided to dedicate a more thorough issue to her.

(Total 28 photos)

1. Photos of Vivien Meyer are lost among the items that she collected all her life.

2. But in the end, they forever changed the life of the person who found them, and the world of street photography.

3. Collecting the life of Vivien Mayer piece by piece, one can recall Churchill's quote about the country of kings and commissars, which lies in the east. Vivienne is a person who combines European stereotypes of an independent woman who was born in New York.

4. Vivien was introverted, but at the same time she was ready to reveal her worldview to anyone who was willing to listen.

5. Vivien collected various things, books, newspaper clippings, home videos, as well as political stories.

6. The story of this nanny who gave her photographs to the world and accidentally captured some of the most interesting wonders and features of US urban life in the second half of the 20th century seems incredible.

7. Vivien traveled a lot between Europe and the USA, but in 1951 she finally settled down in New York.

8. Having started photography just a couple of years before, she took to the streets of the Big Apple to hone her skills.

9. By 1956, Vivien had left the East Coast and moved to Chicago, where she spent most of her life as a nanny.

10. In her free time, Vivienne took pictures.

11. Vivien left behind over 100,000 negatives.

12. She also made and collected documentaries and audio recordings.

13. Free spirit and proud soul Vivien Meyer - in the end, she became poor, and from starvation she was saved by three children, whom she once cared for.

14. They remembered Mayer as a second mother, so they paid for her apartment and took care of her in her old age.

15. One of Vivien's drawers with her personal belongings was put up for auction to pay off her debts.

16. In this box were the negatives that Mayer collected all her life.

17. All of these pictures "came out" when in 2007 her work was discovered by an auction house in Chicago.

18. Her pictures forever changed the life of the man who found them - John Maloof.

19. Now Vivien's photos are archived. A catalog is being created for future generations.

20. Now Vivien's shots are part of the resurgence of interest in street photography.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

28.