Salty Stories: Vivian Maier

I had a few minutes to kill one Friday, so I drove around Pass-A-Grille looking for something interesting to photograph. I hadn't made it halfway around the island when I saw this man lighting up a cigarette while sitting on the seawall next to his tackle box.

I parked, said hi, and asked him if anything was biting.

He said he'd caught some ladyfish, but nothing too exciting. 

I explained my photo project photographing Florida fishermen, and asked if I could take his photo. 

He kindly said yes. 

While I was snapping these frames, he asked, "Have you heard of Vivian Maier?"

I was stunned. Every hip photographer worth their salt knows who street photographer Vivian Maier is, but I wouldn't expect many others to know her name. 

I said yes, I love her work. 

He said, "I met her."

Now I was really curious. Vivian was unknown as a photographer when she was alive. She shot from 1950-ish into the late 90s, but mostly in Chicago, and passed at the age of 83 in 2009. The 2013 documentary "Finding Vivian Maier" made her famous.

He continued, "When I was ten, I lived in Chicago. One day, I was playing by the lake on the city's north side, and I had to pee. I couldn't make it to the bathroom, so I ducked behind a tree and started to go. Then, some lady starts fussing at me 'You can't do that here! Go to the bathroom!" I said, "Lady, I couldn't make it!" but she just kept fussing at me the whole time I was peeing. That was Vivian Maier."

"How do you know it was her?" I asked, still shooting away. 

"I saw her documentary and recognized her hat," he said matter-of-factly as he finished his cigarette. 

We chatted for a few more minutes before I wished him luck and said goodbye. 

Did this man really meet Vivian Maier when he was a ten-year-old in Chicago peeing behind a tree? I've decided to believe him and be content knowing I found a little bit of Vivian Maier all the way down here in Pass-A-Grille, Florida.