Presented at the London Street Photography Festival, happening throughout July, the Vivian Maier collection is a legacy that has seen it sold out and in demand. With thousands of photos yet to have eyes set upon them, Maier’s work is something of great mystery and interest to street photography enthusiasts worldwide.

The story of Vivian Maier is both tragic and incredible inspirational. Reminiscent of Vincent Von Gogh, Maier’s incredible talent was only discovered by the world after her death, after thousands of her photography negatives were discovered in a storage locker. She achieved posthumous fame for her gritty portrayal of urban America in the Fifties and Sixties, reflecting the poignancy of life captured.

There’s something eerie when envisioning long concealed rolls of film revealing their secrets, ghosts of people and memories long forgotten. An ethereal quality is captured by these passing moments that possess underlying emotion and gravity. A simple nanny, Maier was drawn to the destitute, the disregarded, who hung back on the margin of society. She granted them a voice, a presence in capricious history. It is possible that Maier, confined in self-imposed solitude, related to the deserted characters rejected by social order. Silently empathizing behind the lens, Maier tells stories that are utterly captivating, resulting in imagery that is mesmerizing.

Shrouded in mystery, Maier remains much of an enigma, despite enthusiastic research by fervent admirers. The most passionate of all these followers is the man that first discovered Maier’s work, John Maloof. Back in 2007, twenty-five year old Maloof purchased a collection of negatives from an auction house that was selling off the contents of a storage locker belonging to Maier. Connecting deeply to the poignant delicacy created within the images, Maloof sought to obtain as many negatives as he possibly could. To date, Maloof has over 100 000 negatives, with approximately 30 000 still concealed unexposed in their film rolls. There are thousands of images that only Maloof has been privileged to see, with not even Maier glimpsing the beauty she captured.

Fascinated with the gritty beauty of street life back in the fifties and sixties, as captured by Maier, Maloof was determined to discover the photographer. Uncovering Maier’s name scrawled on an envelope nestled deep within one of the countless boxes in his possession, Maloof attempted to search for her online, only to discover Maier’s obituary detailing her death several days before. She was eighty-three years old.

A loner and reclusive, Maier was disinterested in human attachment. She zealously hoarded her private life with an intense aversion to casual familiarity, refusing to detail even the most miniscule aspect of her life to those who knew her. Few were even aware of Maier’s concentrated enthusiasm for photography, which resulted in her traipsing the streets on her days off, Rolleiflex clutched in hand. Maier seemingly weaved through existence observing but never interacting, an impassive bystander documenting the world she saw. Yet the pictures captured speak of intense emotional energy exuded by her unobservant models, which ultimately resulted in the recognition Maier receives today.

Her relentless passion to record the world around her saw Maier not only take hundreds of thousands of photographs, but also filmed amateur documentaries, conduct audio interviews and hoard thousands of newspaper articles concerning stories that interested her. Amongst her discovered collection was a jumble of bizarre curios, such as crushed paint cans and railroad spikes. Undoubtedly a highly unconventional character, Maloof describes Maier as “eccentric, strong, heavily opinionated, highly intellectual, and intensely private. With a camera around her neck whenever she left the house, she would obsessively take pictures, but never showed her photos to anyone. An unabashed and unapologetic original.”

Emerging from a lifetime of obscurity, Vivian Maier has become an inspiration for many. Enraptured with her story as much as her talent, people eagerly await each new photograph that Maloof releases.

Exhibiting her work for the first time in London, at the London Street Photography Festival, Maier is sure to gain a new collection of enthusiasts enraptured with her imagery. Showcasing her work at the German Gymnasium from the 1st to the 24th of July, it’s an exhibition that is simply unmissable. Of course, if you lack the budget that enables you to fly up to London for the weekend, Maier’s work is regularly updated on Maloof’s blog as well as his website dedicated to her. Though taken more than forty years ago, Maier’s work has a timeless quality which is why many contemporary photographers are turning to her work for guidance and inspiration.