Adolph de Meyer

The French-born American photographer Adolph de Meyer was the object of Belle Greene's "immense" admiration in early 1912, when he exhibited his photographs in New York. Shortly thereafter he photographed Belle Greene in three different poses; she sent prints of these to Bernard Berenson and commented on them in her letters. They appeared to be some of her favorite images of herself: she had a "sneaking fondness" for them and "lots of people here are crazy about them." Reproductions of the image would appear in numerous newspaper articles and the most famous of the prints graced the cover of Heidi Ardizzone's 2007 biography of Belle Greene. Her comments to Berenson that the photographs depict her "as I am sometimes" and that they "really do look as I look in that get-up" indicates her approval of the likeness. One of the De Meyer photographs of Greene was exhibited at the Ritz Carlton in New York in January 1913.

BG to BB, 1/9/12 (180): “Baron de Meyer, who is having a show here and whose work I admire immensely is going to take one of me on Thursday & if at all like me, I will send it to you – They are a messy lot, he and his wife, but he does good work – and for that reason we are on speaking terms”

BG to BB, 2/1/12 (181): “The de Meyer photographing was a failure the first time but he writes me today that the last sitting I gave him was very successful – as he is leaving for England within a fortnight I will ask him to send the prints directly to you – I hope they will be good – If you prefer me to sign them let me know by return & I will send them from here” B

G to BB, 2/6/12 (182): “I saw the de Meyer proofs yesterday they are interesting specimens of photography and like me as I am sometimes but as you have not very often seen me so you may not like them. However I will send you one or two and you can keep or destroy them as you like, (They each have a commercial value of $25.00!!!)”

BG to BB, 2/27/12 (185): “I sent you the de Meyer photographs today – Three of them – I had to cut off part of the mounting as it was too large to go through the mail. Will you please choose the one you like best, if any, and return the other two as they are very scarce – but, daarrling, if you really like and want them all do keep them. I am afraid you will find them rather “posey” but they really do look as I look in that get-up – It is an all black costume & everyone says I look deeply, darkly mysterious in it (but not beautiful) I do think it would be such a comfort to one’s self to be beautiful! Not to mention the treat it is to others.”

BG to BB, 3/19/12 (188): “You never told me how you liked my “de Meyer” photos, so I fear you don’t like them at all in which case send them back as lots of people here are crazy about them and beg me for them – but if you don’t like them neither do I any longer – of course they are very posey & all that – but they made me so very much better looking than I am. that I could not help having a sneaking fondness for them.”

BG to BB, 4/9/12 (190): “Have you not received my de Meyer photographs or do you dislike them so much that you even refuse to mention them?”