I just have to accomplish what I set out to do, regardless of who or what is in my way.
—Belle da Costa Greene, New York Times, April 7, 1912
Bold, fearless, and uncompromising, Belle da Costa Greene (1879–1950) left an indelible mark on the Morgan Library as its first director. A pioneering figure, she broke barriers for women in the field of rare books and manuscripts. She was born Belle Marion Greener to an elite Black family in Washington, DC. A few years after moving to New York City in 1888, during the age of Jim Crow, she passed as white as Belle da Costa Greene, crossing the color line with her mother and siblings. She left no trace of her thoughts on racial passing and willed this aspect of her history into oblivion by destroying diaries and private papers. To friends and colleagues, however, she wrote thousands of pages of correspondence that capture her wit, humor, brilliance, and ambition. She was remembered as “the soul of the Morgan Library,” as a person whom one “would not have missed knowing for anything.”
This exhibition brings together the Morgan’s collection with objects from over twenty lenders to tell the intertwining narratives of Greene’s personal and professional lives against the backdrop of institutional and national histories. Her legacies are multiple and complex, yet her life resonates widely today and her memory endures.
This exhibition is organized by Philip Palmer, Robert H. Taylor Curator and Department Head of Literary and Historical Manuscripts, and Erica Ciallela, Exhibition Project Curator.
Belle da Costa Greene: A Librarian’s Legacy is made possible by lead support from Agnes Gund. Major support is provided by the Ford Foundation; Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin M. Rosen; Katharine J. Rayner; Denise Littlefield Sobel; the Lucy Ricciardi Family Exhibition Fund; Desiree and Olivier Berggruen; Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, GRoW @ Annenberg; and by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. Assistance is provided by the Franklin Jasper Walls Lecture Fund, the Friends of Princeton University Library, Elizabeth A.R. and Ralph S. Brown, Jr., and the Cowles Charitable Trust.
Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Clarence H. White (1871–1925), Belle da Costa Greene, 1911. Biblioteca Berenson, I Tatti, The Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies.
Hello. I’m Colin B. Bailey, Director of the Morgan Library and Museum, and I am delighted to welcome you to Belle da Costa Greene: A Librarian’s Legacy. Widely recognized as an authority on illuminated manuscripts and deeply respected as a cultural heritage executive, Greene was one of the most prominent librarians and museum leaders in American history.
Our exhibition, which is the culminating event of the Morgan’s centennial year, explores every facet of Belle Greene’s remarkable story, from her upbringing in an elite Black family in Washington, DC, her decision to pass as white in New York, and her stellar career at the helm of the Morgan Library, an institution she built in collaboration with John Pierpont Morgan and his son, Jack Morgan. She ran the Library for forty-three years and became its inaugural director a century ago.
To tell the most compelling narrative of Greene’s life we have drawn deeply from our own collection and archives, while also borrowing key objects from over twenty private and institutional lenders. This material has not been seen together since Greene’s lifetime and it is unlikely it will ever be assembled again on this scale.
During her decades-long career as Librarian and Director, Belle da Costa Greene not only acquired countless significant collection items, she also made immeasurable contributions to bibliography and scholarship. She facilitated widespread collection access through object loans and ambitious photographic services, and she promoted the work of distinguished women scholars. Today, several fellowships and academic honors are named after Belle Greene, ensuring that her life continues to inspire and promote the work of young scholars and librarians.
As you move through the galleries look for the audio symbols to hear several voices bringing Greene’s words and actions to light. The actor Andi Bohs, known for her 2010 one-woman performance as Belle Greene, has provided the voice of our first director; in reading excerpts from letters and newspaper articles, her words bring Greene’s personality and distinctive style to life. You will also hear from our co-curators, Philip Palmer and Erica Ciallela, who have supplied the narrative portions of our audioguide, as well as Jesse Erickson, Astor Curator and department head of Printed Books and Bindings, and member of the exhibition’s advisory committee.
Thank you for joining us at the Morgan. We hope you enjoy your visit.