You may not know Belle da Costa Greene, but the Morgan Library and Museum in New York City is aiming to change that.
Their exhibit, A Librarian’s Legacy, celebrates the library’s 100th anniversary, but more importantly, it focuses on Greene’s life and her pivotal role as the institution’s first director. She had an impressive career, especially as a woman of her era and even more so as a Black woman who pretended to be white in a sharply divided America.
Greene (1879–1950) was a key figure in American librarianship. She managed the Morgan Library for 43 years, first as the private librarian for J. Pierpont Morgan and his son, Jack, and later as the first director of the Pierpont Morgan Library, now the Morgan Library & Museum.
While she was in charge, Greene not only created one of the most important collections of rare books and manuscripts in the U.S., but she also changed a private collection into a valuable public resource. She started a strong program of exhibitions, lectures, publications, and research services that is still active today.
In a recent interview, exhibit curator Erica Ciallela told NPR that Greene’s choice to pass as a white woman wasn’t entirely her own decision.
“It was really spearheaded by her mother, Genevieve, who not only made the decision for Belle Greene and her siblings to pass but did it fairly early on when Greene was still in school,” Ciallela said.
Belle Greene, originally named Belle Marion Greener, was the daughter of Genevieve Ida Fleet Greener and Richard T. Greener. She grew up in Washington, DC.’s Black high society; her father was the first Black graduate of Harvard College (the undergraduate school of Harvard University) and was well-known as a teacher, diplomat, and advocate for racial justice. Her mother came from a respected Black family in Washington and worked as a musician and teacher.
In 1896, after Belle’s parents separated when she was a teenager, Genevieve changed their last name to Greene. While growing up, Belle and her siblings presented themselves as white, which gave Belle opportunities in a divided, deeply racist America where she secured employment at the Princeton University Library before moving to the research library. There, she met a cousin of J. Pierpont Morgan, who was looking for someone to help organize his growing collection.
“The interview went amazingly, as we can all imagine,” Ciallela said. “And in 1905, she began working for Pierpont Morgan as his librarian, cataloging his collection and eventually starting this amazing building that we have and are celebrating still today.”
As a woman librarian and head of a major institution, Greene stood out during a time when few women held such positions, especially after gaining the right to vote. She was often one of only two women at auctions, gaining recognition among collectors and being featured in newspapers and magazines. Greene’s image became well-known globally, frequently appearing in publications for rare-book enthusiasts.
“We do know that newspaper reporters always would notice her complexion. They would always point out her dark hair or her wild hair or her darker skin color,” Ciallela said.
There is no record of Greene’s feelings about passing as a white woman, as she destroyed her ten-volume journals before her death in 1950. However, Ciallela noted that Greene wrote things down that she could not even think to herself in those journals.
As she aged, Greene distanced herself from the public, especially as her natural features became more apparent. While some visitors to the exhibit may never fully grasp why Greene chose to pass as white, the Morgan Library’s exhibit highlights her lasting influence on generations and libraries today.
Greene’s impact is powerful and far-reaching despite her holding the position as Morgan’s first director for only seven years. Still, throughout her long career in library management, she not only gathered and curated many important items but also made valuable contributions to research and education. She guided her colleagues to help make collections more accessible through loans and extensive photography services and supported the achievements of notable women scholars and librarians.
“She loved being a librarian. That was her essence,” Ciallela said. “She was so proud of everything she was building here and she created a family with this staff here. And so I really think that her work kept her moving forward and kept her eyes on, you know, ‘I might be hiding this portion of myself, but the world gets to see all of this other stuff that I am accomplishing.'”
A Librarian’s Legacy will be on display until May 4th, showcasing Greene’s early life in Washington, D.C. Ciallela noted that this is new research, and it connects the librarian’s background to the ongoing tradition of Black librarians in the United States.
