Finding Vivian Maier

While watching the Documentary about Vivian and her photographs I found it amazing how just by one name they had found out her whole history. The only thing that still brings me to be curious is that in the film Maloof and Siskel had a bit of help from a women for finding out Vivian’s history and where she had originated from/ grew up. She soon found out that Vivian’s great grandmother came from France and left her daughter behind. Her grandmother came over to be a cook. Than once the daughter was old enough she soon came over and I believe left her daughter behind also. As soon as vivians mom was old enough and was about to have her daughter she had came to the United states too. This is when Vivian was the first in her family to be born in the United States. Not once did they ever meet each other even though they were all in the same State (New York) but they all ended up working as some kind of servants. As soon as Vivian was old enough to start working she went back and changed her birth certificate of who her parents were so she could almost make a new identity for herself. Some think its because in france everyone had laughed at her father because he didn't have much and he mother and all the other women were shamed for having a child young. She didn't want her family's past to become a burden. This made me curious as to why she would do this. Back in 1940, they didn't have technology like we did today so I don't understand why she would go through such a burden to try and change her past if all people can do is ask her about her past especially with her family. Could she see that technology was changing? Why would Vivian want to change her past especially with her family? I know personally my family has made me who I am and I would be apart of the lower class and my mom is a waitress, but I would never change who my family was so I wonder why she did and if something more had happened between them all.

As Maloof and Siskel along with many other historians/photographers, they all explain how close Vivian had to have been for many of her photographs to be taken. Which was around 1940’s till 2009. Being that back than she had to look down into a lens, never actually making eye contact with the person or the things you are wanting to take pictures of amazes me. She had to really be three to four steps away to some people in order to capture the moment and because she was looking down no one ever thought she might be taking photographs of them. Even yet because Vivian looked as if she was a mom just strolling the city or suburbs when she had the kids she was nannying no one ever thought twice about saying anything. What I wonder though is what did she do if people did see that she was taking a direct picture of them?

After watching Finding Vivian Maier, many questions do still come up because everything truly is a mystery. Not one person ever did get to talk to her one on one on why she changed her past, or why she hid all her photographs. Everyone who has done the research on her are just making assumptions and asking anyone who had ever talked or were close to her which weren't many at all. Many concepts in which I didn't understand though the film is many of which has to do with people who had contact with her. Most of them kept saying how if she was still alive she wouldn't want everyone snooping around in her business and asking questions because she hated nosie people who did this. So why are people still trying to make assumptions about her? We know shes a great photographer, but what truly motivates her? Many think it was because she thought it was peaceful and a sense of connection to where she stood in society. But yet can we make that accusation? Maybe is it because the people who she was taking photographs of had more of a story or background that she would make up or ask about? Who knows if when she was downtown chicago if she talked to each person about where they came from or if she had some sort of encounter with them? Vivian Maier's life will always be a mystery all we can hope for is that she enjoyed what she did and that she will be one missed photographer with a mystery story.