Presenting her photographs alongside interviews with those who knew her best, this volume is the first attempt to put Vivian Maier's work in context and create a portrait of her as an artist. Though she created more than 10,000 negatives during her lifetime, only a few of them were ever seen by others. Shortly after her death in 2009, the first group of her unseen Chicago photographs--gritty with humanity and filled with empathy and beauty--were shown online. Word of her work spread quickly, catapulting Maier from previous obscurity to being labeled as one of the masters of street photography.--From publisher description.