Women’s History Discussion Group
The July 10 discussion will be on Belle da Costa Greene
Greene was a librarian and bibliographer who undertook the organization and expansion of banker J.P. Morgan’s collections to create the Morgan Library. From 1905 to 1908 she worked to organize Morgan’s collection. Trusting her ability and judgement, Morgan had her work as his agent and she frequently traveled to Europe, finding and procuring additions for his library. She would later go on to be the first director of the Morgan Library, a position she held until her retirement in 1948.
The primary reading for our discussion will be The Personal Librarian, a fictionalized account of Greene’s life by Marie Benedict.
To supplement this, there are the following online resources, including an NPR interview with Benedict.
Online Sources
Belle Da Costa Greene: The Black Activist’s Daughter Who Reinvented Herself Across the Color Line.
https://www.historynet.com/belle-da-costa-greene-passing-fancy/
The Story of J P Morgan’s Personal Librarian and Why She Chose to Pass as White (NPR Interview with Marie Benedict)
https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2021/08/31/1031802246/the-story-of-j-p-morgans-personal-librarian-and-why-she-chose-to-pass-as-white
The Hidden Story of J. P. Morgan’s Librarian
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/12/23/belle-da-costa-greene-art-review-morgan-library