Belle da Costa Greene was a trailblazing figure in early 20th century American history. As the librarian and director of New York's J.P. Morgan Library--now known as the Morgan Library & Museum--Greene was the first African-American woman to hold a major position in a prominent American institution, a role she held from 1905 to 1948. During her career, Greene led the development and preservation of one of the largest private collections of art, manuscripts, and books in the world.
Belle Da Costa Greene: A Librarian's Legacy by
The incredible story of the first director of the Morgan Library: a visionary Black woman who walked confidently in an early twentieth-century man's world of wealth and privilege, When J.P. Morgan's personal library opened as a public institution in 1924, the choice for its first director was an obvious one: Belle da Costa Greene (1879-1950). Not only had she organized and cataloged the collection, she had significantly expanded its holdings and displayed its treasures in curated exhibitions. While she was famous and well known for her librarianship in her lifetime, few people also knew that she had been born to a prominent Black family, and by her early twentiess was passing as white in New York City. A Librariant's Legacy offers a multifaceted portrait of this remarkable woman, who would go one to lead the Morgan Library for forty-three years-revealing Greene's career as a curator, collector, library executive and dynamic New Yorker.
Belle Greene by
Based on the true story of Belle da Costa Greene, a woman who defied all odds to carve out a destiny of her own choosing, this is a richly imagined novel bursting with atmosphere, lush period detail, and many unforgettable characters. New York in the 1900s. A young girl fascinated by rare books defies all odds and becomes the director of one of the country's most prestigious private libraries. It belongs to the magnate J. P. Morgan,darling of the international aristocracy and one of the city's richest men. Flamboyant, brilliant, beautiful, Belle is among New York society's most sought after intellectuals. She also hides a secret. Although she looks white, she is African American, the daughter of a famous black activist who sees her desire to hide her origins as the consummate betrayal. Torn between history's ineluctable imperatives and the freedom to belong to the society of her choosing, Belle's drama, which plays out in a violently racist America, is one that resonates forcefully, and illuminatingly even today. The fruit of years of research and interviews, Alexandra Lapierre's magnificent novel recounts the struggles, victories, and heartbreaks of a woman who is free, astonishingly determined, daring, and fully, exuberantly alive.
An Illuminated Life: Belle da Costa Greene's Journey from Prejudice to Privilege by
What would you give up to achieve your dream? When J. P. Morgan hired Belle da Costa Greene in 1905 to organize his rare book and manuscript collection, she had only her personality and a few years of experience to recommend her. Ten years later, she had shaped the famous Pierpont Morgan Library collection and was a proto-celebrity in New York and the art world, renowned for her self-made expertise, her acerbic wit, and her flirtatious relationships. Born to a family of free people of color, Greene changed her name and invented a Portuguese grandmother to enter white society. In her new world, she dined both at the tables of the highest society and with bohemian artists and activists. She also engaged in a decades-long affair with art critic Bernard Berenson. Greene is pure fascination--the buyer of illuminated manuscripts who attracted others to her like moths to a flame.
The Personal Librarian by
In her twenties, Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J. P. Morgan to curate a collection for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library. Belle becomes a fixture on the New York society scene and one of the most powerful people in the art and book world as she helps build a world-class collection. But Belle has a secret, one she must protect at all costs. She is the daughter of Richard Greener, the first Black graduate of Harvard and a well-known advocate for equality. Belle's complexion isn't dark because of her alleged Portuguese heritage that lets her pass as white - her complexion is dark because she is African American.
