Quote: When Vivian Maier died in 2009, at the age of 83, she was virtually unknown. She had worked most of her adult life as a nanny for a series of families in Chicago. A very private person, she died penniless and alone, with no surviving family.

Two years earlier, a stash of her possessions had been unceremoniously auctioned off when she failed to pay a storage fee.

As it turned out, that local Chicago history buff, John Maloof, had uncovered a treasure trove. "The auction house is across the street from my home. I found this box loaded with negatives. I won it for, I think $350," said Maloof.

That box contained 30,000 negatives, mostly undeveloped photos of Chicago and its inhabitants spanning the second half of the 20th century.

Maloof was so blown away by the quality of the work that he tracked down and bought out as many of the other buyers of Maier's possessions as he could. He now has amassed over 100,000 negatives. Another collector has 18,000 more Maier negatives, along with a thousand prints, a thousand color slides, and dozens of films.

It will take years just to scan all Maier's work. But enough of them have been processed that many already consider her one of the century's most important street photographers.

http://mynorthwest.com/382/2214087/Mysterious-box-of-priceless-art-bought-for-at-auction-for-350