abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

This is particularly depressing considering how political and dysfunctional the county is. The only ones who will benefit for sure will be the lawyers.

http://fw.to/mB14Zoa

flyguy Loc: Las Cruces, New Mexico

Sad story and what's going on is a very depressing load of legal crap!!!

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

What I do not understand is that someone put the stuff into a storage locker, must have signed a contract, paid rent, and then stopped paying rent. The stuff was then sold at auction prior to her passing. Is this not just simple contract law? Did the contract not give the landlord the right to sell the contents if rent was not paid? Did he have an obligation to find her relatives or representatives?

If she died before the auction, then that would be another story.

I would not call this legal crap because it cuts both ways. However, a few Johnnies-come-lately are trying to cash in on those people who took all the risk and fronted money. That is the problem I have.

farnsworth52 Loc: W. Pa.

The sadest part of all this crap is that she never got to see her work become popular,and maybe thats what she wanted.

maierfan1 Loc: Michigan

Again it's all about the money. Cook County? Attorneys?
Vultures will always be looking for ways to get in on the action. As a citizen I am outraged by the actions of public officials and as a great admirer of Vivien Maier I am shocked by such behavior.

I'm truly angry and saddened by this..... but am not surprised. My eighty years of observing the human condition has become painful of late where corruption and greed have seemingly (?) become the norm.

Vivien... I wish you could be here to see this and again take some photos and show us the difference between your day and ours.

Thanks for posting this story... I had no idea! I guess someone out there feels it's not news worthy, or hopefully are ashamed. As Mark Twain said, "Human beings are the only animals that blush.... or need to."

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

I like you UHH name. I guess you really do like her. I think her work is terrific. Iconoclastic yet accessible. She certainly ranks up there with the best.

As for human nature, I must disagree with you. It has not changed in the tens of thousands of years humans have been around. Look at the Old Testament. Can you see any behavior we have now that was not described in the OT? Overall, I do think people are getting better but there is still certainly a lot of bad behavior.

Looks like you may be into trains. Have you seen the Illinois Railroad Museum or the pictures of O. Winston Link?