This essay, offered as a blog post for my friends and regular readers, is written as my own tribute to Belle da Costa Greene and, as such, to the Morgan Library and Museum. Such a tribute is highly appropriate at this time in New York, as we are moving into the closing months of one of the best (in my opinion) exhibitions ever presented in New York City. It’s at the Morgan, and it’s called Belle da Costa Greene: A Librarian’s Legacy. The exhibition came to us last October 25, and it will remain on view to visitors until May 4, 2025.
At the same time, this essay is my own tribute to librarianship, the profession with which I have been associated for many years. I was a librarian for the first twenty-one years of my career, and even when I was no longer employed as a librarian per se, the principles of librarianship continued as a major component of my working life.
I like to think that the goal of my work continued to match Greene’s: driving “the production of knowledge.” For me, in my role as a librarian and as a writer, teacher, and management consultant, it all came together in the larger profession of knowledge services. This is the management methodology developed for the purpose of looking at information management, knowledge management, and strategic learning and ensuring that the knowledge driven (and shared) was that required for the user’s or the client’s success.
In addition, Greene’s standards (and those of other librarians such as Greene), are described in one of the explanatory panels in the exhibition, noting that such professional work “preserves traces of the past and drives the production of knowledge.”
Of course in our modern and technological age—and with the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) and all other tools and technology we have to work with—we are not exactly preserving only the “traces of the past.” There’s so much more that we have to work with, and certainly it is not just information, knowledge, and learning “of the past.”
For me, it is that “production of knowledge” mentioned in the label that drives us, also coming from Belle Greene’s professional efforts. As my career developed, it all came together in knowledge services, and to my way of thinking it seemed naturally enough to ensure that the knowledge driven, produced, and shared by and for my user/client was what that person or organization required and was seeking.
In any case, this is an appropriate time to share this essay, as the Morgan Library & Museum is concluding its celebration of 100 years as a public institution. It was established as such by Jack Morgan (J. Pierpont Morgan’s son) as the Pierpont Morgan Library in 1924. Now known as “The Morgan”—as we New Yorkers call it—is located in my neighborhood, where I have lived for most of my many years in New York City. As the Morgan celebrates it history, it is clear that it has evolved into a major cultural organization of international repute. We are grateful to have it near at hand.
This is the classic look most of us have in mind when we refer to the Morgan, its famous McKim, Mead, and White facade. It’s the “jewel” of 36th Street, right in the heart of the Murray Hill and much beloved by all of us.
To go into the Morgan, though, visitors go the “real” entrance, around the corner, at 225 Madison, leading into a major addition designed by Renzo Piano and opened in 2006. This more recent structure is renowned for its soaring central court, connecting the buildings of the Morgan and serving as a gathering place for visitors in the spirit of an Italian piazza.
In terms of the exhibition itself, we quickly discover that in many ways this essay will be only a “soft” (we might say) look at the splendor of both the place and the contents of the exhibition. Indeed, what’s shared here can be only a few of my notes and a mention of two highlights of the exhibition that particularly impressed me (not suprising to those who know me). To learn more, I recommend the beautiful catalogue accompanying the exhibition (Belle da Costa Greene: A Librarian’s Legacy), available at the Morgan’s shop.
To begin my thoughts about the exhibition, I was quickly inspired by one of the quotations written on the wall in one of the exhibition rooms, just above some of the artifacts. In a 1912 newspaper interview, Greene made it clear that despite the occasions for some glory (and perhaps some people’s pretensions) about library work, she was quick to bring herself—and anyone else who might be thinking about the matter—down to earth, and it was clear that she herself did not have pretensions:
“My friends in England suggest that I be called ‘Keeper of Printed Books and Manuscripts’ … but you know they have such long titles in London. I’m simply a librarian.” Belle da Costa Greene, New York Times, April 7, 1912.
When I read this, I realized that my intention with this tribute was to encourage us to recognize and seek to understand how all of librarianship could deal with and work through the vast undertakings that enable us to capture, organize, and share all that connects with knowledge and knowledge sharing. Obviously all professions dealing with what I call “knowledge services” come into play here, and while we obviously cannot do it alone, we can—I propose—look to someone like Belle Greene for inspiration and guidance.
Since there is so much biographical information (both real and fictional) available about Belle de Costa Greene, it’s probably best to open with a generalized statement, from a variety of sources.
For one thing, we know that Belle da Costa Greene first studied librarianship by attending Amherst College’s Summer School of Library Economy in 1900, where she took a six-week course. She then worked at the Princeton University Library beginning in 1902, training in cataloging and reference work and, not incidentally, learning about rare books. It was there that she met Junius Spencer Morgan II, J.P. Morgan’s nephew, who introduced her to Morgan, and in 1905 she began to work for J. P. Morgan as his librarian.
She had been born in Washington, D.C. as Belle Marion Greener on November 26, 1879. She was the daughter of Genevieve Ida Fleet, a music teacher and a member of a well-known African American family in Washington. Her father, Richard Theodore Greener was the first black student and first black graduate of Harvard (class of 1870). He went on to work as an attorney, professor and racial justice activist and served as dean of the Howard University University Law School. In 1898, he became America’s first Black diplomat to a white country, serving in Vladivostok, Russia, and he went on to serve as an American representative during the Russo-Japanese War. He left diplomatic service in 1905.
Belle Greene’s parents separated at some point, and it has been speculated that after Belle Greene took the job with Morgan, she and her father lost touch. Indeed she listed him as deceased on passport applications throughout the 1910s, even though he is known to have lived until 1922.
After her parents’ separation, the light-skinned Belle, her mother, and her siblings passed as white and as it has been noted, they changed their surname to Greene so that they would not be connected Richard Theodore Greener. Belle da Costa Greene herself died on May 10, 1950, at the age of 70).
To move back to her professional life, one of the legends in the exhibition—called “Library Work”—describes Belle Greene’s workaday efforts:
“From her office in the North Room Belle Greene ran the library and managed its staff, using custom furniture including a desk with hidden compartments, a swivel chair, and an ornate card catalogue cabinet. At this desk she researched the collection, kept up a vast correspondence with scholars, answered reference questions, and negotiated with book and art dealers. Otto Schneider’s etching is the only known image of Greene sitting at her North Room desk, which was situated to the right of the entrance. “
The etching’s legend continues, bringing the exhibition visitor to that beautiful description of what librarians did in 1909 (and still do): “Librarians such as Greene preserve traces of the past and drive the production of knowledge. But this labor often goes unseen and underappreciated.”
Nevertheless, even reading this, we can recognize that she loved what she was doing, and it is at this point that Miss Greene (as she was called) remarks, in a June 29, 1909 letter to Bernard Berenson, “I was busily engaged hunting up particulars of a certain book & half the Library was on my desk.”
And—as remarkable as it might appear— throughout Belle Greene’s career there was work that can only be described as “unusual” for those of us with careers as librarians (or—like mine—”attached” to librarianship). For example—and as noted in the exhibition)—one spectacular painting was labelled “Unmasking a Forger” and its story is truly breath-taking. The label describes the effort: “one of Belle Greene’s greatest research accomplishments was her work documenting a late nineteenth-century forger who was discovered to have painted more than four hundred ‘medieval’ images.”
“This panel, then attributed to the fifteenth-century painter Jorge Inglés (believed to be Spanish at the time), was offered to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1930, and Greene was asked for her opinion on the work. She found it suspicious, and during the rest of her career revealed over a dozen additional examples by the artist she nicknamed the ‘Spanish Forger,’ who intentionally damaged his work to make it appear older.”
The exhibition label continues, noting that
“In 1978 Morgan curators William M. Voelkle and Roger S. Wieck would build on Greene’s work for a major exhibition, The Spanish Forger, and Voelkle continues to catalogue new forgeries that have come to light.” [The painting is described in the label: Spanish Forger, Betrothal of St. Ursula, late nineteenth/early twentieth century. Oil on panel. The Morgan Library & Museum, Gift of Martin Cooper, 1988.125]
In addition, Belle Greene’s life style—from some of what we’ve learned—must have included a very sparkling personality, delighting all who came in contact with her. Certainly this note to Bernard Berenson gives us a clear idea of one of the ways she had fun.
“Tonight we are going to hear, at the New Theatre, an opera which I hate because I love it so and it always breaks me all up—by the end of the evening I am invariably desperately enamored of the man who sits next to me, be he old or young, black or white, lame, halt, or blind—n’importe qui!—Such is Bohème.”—Belle da Costa Greene to Berenson, March 8, 1910.
[Readers who know me can vouch for my attention to this particular item. How I would love to have had a few conversations with Belle da Costa Greene! We would have talked about opera, life in New York City, and all the events that fell into place at the Morgan and among her friends.]
The final exhibition panel provides the best summary of what I want to share:
A Legacy Remembered.
When Belle da Costa Greene retired in 1948, letters came in from around the world congratulating her on the contributions she had made to the Morgan and scholarship at large. She had not only built an inspiring collection but also shaped the careers of women she mentored, including Morgan Librarian Meta Harrison and Walters Art Gallery Curator Dorothy Miner. Several years after her retirement, staff members would even continue to say only that they were working on projects for “Miss Greene.”
But her legacy has extended far past the lifetimes of those who knew her. Her story has galvanized the work of scholars, biographers, writers, and artists. Awards and fellowships have been named in her honor, including the Medieval Academy of America’s Belle da Costa Greene Award. Belle da Costa Greene Scholarships to support booksellers and librarians attending antiquarian book seminars in Colorado and York, and the Morgan’s own Belle de Costa Greene Curatorial Fellowships, established in 2019 and given to “promising scholars from communities historically underrepresented in the curatorial and special collections fields.” Despite the gaps she left in the narrative, both international and not, Greene’s singular devotion to the world of librarianship remains one of her most enduring legacies.
The Symposium. On October 25, 2024, the Morgan sponsored a day-long symposium in the Gilder Lehrman Hall on the Ground Floor of the Morgan.
While there is not, to my knowledge, any printed record of the papers presented at the Symposium or any video recording of the event, it was well-attended. Everyone I spoke with was very excited about the many different points of view offered and the historical comments made by the speakers. Since I wanted to include more information about the exhibition and its subject to readers, I’ve copied the text describing the planned symposium from the invitation mailed to Morgan’s members. I hope this will strengthen what is offered above.
Symposium | Belle da Costa Greene
Complementing the opening of the exhibition Belle da Costa Greene: A Librarian’s Legacy, this one-day scholarly symposium will bring together experts working on Belle Greene and/or the fields relevant to our understanding of her life and career, including African American history and literature, the history of museums and libraries, Medieval studies, art history, feminist bibliography, and book history.
As Belle Greene herself wrote in 1937, in one of her five-year reports on the Morgan’s activities, “Increased usefulness of the Library to the general public has been fostered through more frequent lectures and addresses by eminent authorities.” This symposium aims to bring together yet another group of “eminent authorities” in four panels/roundtables, following the great tradition of the lecture and conference series that Greene herself inaugurated at the Morgan so many years ago.
Historical and Literary Perspectives on Racial Passing (9:15–10:45 AM)
As J. Pierpont Morgan’s librarian, Belle da Costa Greene relied on a multi-faceted identity performance that crossed boundaries of race, gender, and class. This panel aims to convey the complexity of Greene’s identity when discussing her life, even in the near total absence of her thoughts on the subject, in order to humanize passing and approach the topic with the utmost empathy. The discussion will delve into the historical context that gave rise to passing narratives and their relevance in contemporary discourse on race. Panelists will explore how authors have used passing as a literary device to interrogate notions of racial identity, privilege, and the fluidity of social constructs. The examination will extend beyond literature to encompass broader cultural, historical, and sociopolitical perspectives, exploring the ways in which passing narratives reflect and influence societal attitudes towards race.
- Sterling L. Bland, Rutgers University-Newark
- Julia Charles-Linen, Arizona State University
- Dominique Jean-Louis, Center for Brooklyn History
Belle da Costa Greene and the History of Black Librarianship (11 AM–12:30 PM)
This roundtable seeks to illuminate the pivotal role of Black librarians in shaping and preserving cultural heritage, intellectual diversity, and equitable representation within the field of information sciences. As libraries evolve into dynamic spaces that reflect the rich tapestry of human experiences, it is imperative to recognize and celebrate the contributions of Black librarians in fostering inclusivity, advocating for social justice, and bridging the gaps in information access. The roundtable will explore the historical context of early Black librarianship, with a focus on Belle Greene and her contemporaries, while also addressing contemporary issues and innovations. By bringing together a diverse group of accomplished professionals, this session aims to inspire dialogue, foster collaboration, and encourage the continued advancement of Black librarianship in the pursuit of knowledge, cultural preservation, and social justice.
- Tamar Evangelesti-Dougherty, Smithsonian Libraries and Archives
- Rhonda Evans, LuEsther T. Mertz Library, New York Botanical Garden
- Petrina Jackson, Arthur & Elizabeth Schlesinger Library, Harvard University
- DeLisa Minor Harris, Fisk University
New Directions in the Study of Belle da Costa Greene (2:15–3:45 PM)
Ever since Jean Strouse’s foundational discoveries in Morgan: American Financier, Belle da Costa Greene has been a popular subject for archival research and scholarship. This “state of the field” roundtable will discuss current research and new resources for the study of Belle da Costa Greene. Panelists will describe their work on “The Letters of Belle da Costa Greene to Bernard Berenson” digital project, the processing of Greene’s professional papers, and new sources that help illuminate her work as a medievalist. A major topic of discussion will be the archival gaps present in the story of Belle Greene’s life, and how to address those gaps ethically. Jean Strouse and Heidi Ardizzone, whose books set the stage for all subsequent scholarship on Greene, will participate as respondents and be asked to reflect on the current state of the field.
- Heidi Ardizzone, author of An Illuminated Life: Belle da Costa Greene’s Journey from Prejudice to Privilege
- Erica Ciallela, Exhibition Project Coordinator – Belle da Costa Greene, Morgan Library & Museum
- Anne-Marie Eze, Houghton Library, Harvard University
- Philip S. Palmer, Robert H. Taylor Curator and Department Head, Literary and Historical Manuscripts, Morgan Library & Museum
- Jean Strouse, author of Morgan: American Financier
The Afterlives of Belle da Costa Greene (4–5:30 PM)
This panel delves into the impactful legacy of Belle Da Costa Greene, a trailblazing librarian, medieval art expert, and museum director. At a time when women did not have the right to vote, Belle Greene made her own way through the male-dominated world of rare books and manuscripts, commanded an impressive salary, and refused to conform to societal expectations. Through insightful discussions, participants will examine the afterlives of her contributions to the fields of library science, medieval studies, and museum leadership, highlighting the intersectionality of her experiences and the doors she opened for women within the field. This culminating panel seeks to celebrate Greene’s lasting influence on the cultural and academic landscape, fostering dialogue on the importance of diversity and inclusion in these realms, while also seeking to understand the complexity of her legacy.
- Sierra Lomuto, Rowan University
- Kate Ozment, California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
- Tracy Sharpley-Whiting, Vanderbilt University
Videos. Several short documentary films about Belle da Costa Greene are available at YouTube. My favorite happens to be “The Most Fascinating Librarian in American History: Telling the Story of Belle da Costa Greene,” a four-minute film made as the exhibition was being put together. It can be been at YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fin67OHO068.
Further Reading. This essay does not include a bibliography, as several books about Belle da Costa Greene have come out over the years, and they are easily obtained, through libraries, bookstores, and online vendors. I do not feel that I’m in a position to make any specific recommendations, other than the catalogue to the exhibition, mentioned earlier.