Alexander Popini

One of many newspaper articles to discuss the sale of Robert Hoe's library in the spring of 1911, this is the only one that visually depicts Belle Greene on the auction floor, where she was one of two women in attendance. Greene herself saved several clippings from media coverage of this sale, but not this particular article, which she seemed to dislike intensely.

BG to BB, 5/21/11 (154): “We arrived about brutal and I was “all in” so went immediately to bed and was awakened by mother bending over & holding up a horrible vision of myself in the Sunday World – full page & brightly coloured Well I had a dozen different fits of anger and despair. You can’t do a thing with these damned newspapers – and although it said in the accompanying article that I was very quiet – & self-contained yet this picture was of half actress and half college girl – It really is too mean of them. If I behave in a dignified way when attending to my business why can’t they treat me in the same way in their newspaper or better still why can’t they leave me out? I was so cross that it has given me a violent headache & so I am spending the morning in bed”

Alexander Popini (1878–1962)
"Fifty Thousand Dollars for that Book!" The World Magazine, May 21, 1911
Illustration by Alexander Popini based on photograph by an unknown photographer