Mentor

Erica Cialella, 2020–2022 Belle da Costa Greene Fellow: In a field dominated by men, Greene was one of only a few women who led a rare book and manuscript library in the early twentieth century. One of her greatest accomplishments as Director was mentoring women scholars and librarians. The ancient seals and tablets that are housed in the North Room were cataloged by one of Greene’s mentees, the art historian Edith Porada. Porada grew up in a Jewish family in Austria and was the first woman to earn a doctorate from the University of Vienna. She daringly escaped Nazi-occupied Europe in 1938 with her sister, eventually making it to New York. Belle Greene gave her the opportunity to work on the Morgan’s collection of cylinder seals, and that opportunity helped Edith launch her academic career in the United States, where she would become a professor at Columbia University. She would eventually be given the title of honorary curator at the Morgan.

The great tradition of hands-on teaching with these cylinder seals, which were stored in Greene’s office, has a long history. There’s a wonderful story about Greene hosting Jane Morgan Nichols and her children in this room. She described this memorable visit later in life: “After we had wandered about looking at different rooms Miss Greene got out the seals, a candle and great sticks of sealing wax. The children were allowed to spread the melted sealing wax on paper and run the different seals over it, producing fascinating impressions, which they were allowed to take home. It did not injure the seals in any way, and delighted Jane and George, who have never forgotten this delight.”

When Greene retired in 1948 she left an enduring legacy at the Morgan that can still be seen today. As she wrote in 1909, envisioning the future of the institution, “one aim is to make the Library preeminent … I hope to be able to say some day that there is neither rival nor equal.”