It is only since Vivian Maier's death in 2009 that the 150,000 photographs she rarely showed to anyone have come to light.

Working as a nanny in the suburbs of Chicago in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s, she captured extraordinary street scenes on a Rolleiflex camera. But she did not always develop the photos. With no permanent home of her own, she paid for storage units where her life’s work was kept. The archives were auctioned when she died and she is now considered one of the best street photographers of the 20th century.

Josephine McDermott presents accounts from the BBC archive from the people who found themselves in Vivian Maier’s orbit.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

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This programme has been updated since the original broadcast.

(Photo: Vivian Maier self-portrait. Credit: Vivian Maier/ Alamy)

Vivian Maier: Secret street photographer

Witness History