Long before the female gaze was a thing in photography, there was vivian maier. The photographer, who lived in New York City from 1951 to 1956, then in Chicago until she died in 2009, shot everything. She used her camera lens as her diary of what it was like being a lonesome woman documenting society with a sharp eye in Postwar America and then into the swinging sixties.

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A new exhibition, “Unseen Work” on view at Fotografiska New York, is the first museum show in New York dedicated to the vast work of the late artist, whose photos were completely unknown—and mostly unprinted—during her lifetime. The show, which runs until September 29, features over 230 photos from the 1950s to the 1990s, documenting, among other things, classic street style in New York City. It is spread across the fourth and fifth floors of the museum, but the real, best work here is all on the fifth. That’s because it showcases Maier’s obsession with people-watching. She shot portraits of everyday people in........

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