The Morgan Library's quest to honor a matriarch in archiving

Imagine yourself in Gilded Age New York, as you witness a glamorous, self-possessed young woman become an influential figure in wealthy social circles.

Known throughout the city, photographed by the press, she works with one of the richest men in the country collecting some of the world's rarest books and manuscripts, for his personal collection.

Though it may sound like the plot of a movie, this story is taken from history. Referred to as one of the most fascinating librarians in American history, Belle da Costa Greene is the figure who is responsible for the depth and legacy of the Morgan Library's collection, to this day.

You may have never heard of her — but the Morgan Library and Museum in New York is trying to change that.

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The Morgan Library

The library was founded by J. Pierpont Morgan, one of the richest and most powerful bankers in the early 20th century.

While it was originally intended to house J.P. Morgan's personal collection, today, it houses a one-of-a-kind collection of medieval writings, rare books and illuminated manuscripts. That's thanks in large part to Belle da Costa Greene.

She became the librarian for the collection in 1905 — and in 1924 was appointed director of the Morgan Library.

Erica Ciallela is a curator for "A Librarian's Legacy" — a new exhibit that is part of the Morgan's 100th anniversary celebrations. She says it's hard to find an area of the study that Greene hasn't influenced, telling NPR: "We could go on forever with everything she touched and created."

The exhibit traces Greene's life and her lasting impact on the role of libraries as public spaces for everyone, not just the educated elite.

"Our exhibition programs, our lecture programs, our collections that we do today, we can trace it all back to her becoming director and believing that this institution could be one of a kind in the world and a place for scholars everywhere to come and look at these amazing materials."

Greene's vision was also a key factor in defining the scope of this collection.

"She really was looking for one of a kind items, which is what sets our collection apart, because she really was like, 'I want the best of the best.' And that sometimes meant looking outside of what was popular. And she knew exactly what would make this collection and this building become a site."

Passing to survive

Heading a library was an unusually prominent role for a woman at the turn of the last century, particularly for a Black woman. But this woman chose to pass as white to survive in a highly segregated America.

Ciallela says the decision was a family choice, spearheaded by her mother, Genevieve, who not only made the decision for all of Greene and her siblings to pass, but did it fairly early on, when Greene was still in school.

Da Costa Greene's personal struggles with race and gender were lost to time and her own hand, as she burned her 10-volume set of diaries before her death.

"But we do have a letter she wrote to the art historian, Bernard Berenson, where she said that that is where she wrote things down that she dare not even think to herself. So what that means, unfortunately we're never going to know. But, I mean, it's got to have been a struggle. And, I mean, it's actually incredible that she was made director as a woman," Ciallela said.