An Illuminated Life: Belle Da Costa Greene's Journey from Prejudice to Privilege

What would you give up to achieve your dream? When J. P. Morgan hired Belle da Costa Greene in 1905 to organize his rare book and manuscript collection, she had only her personality and a few years of experience to recommend her. Ten years later, she had shaped the famous Pierpont Morgan Library collection and was a proto-celebrity in New York and the art world, renowned for her self-made expertise, her acerbic wit, and her flirtatious relationships. Born to a family of free people of color, Greene changed her name and invented a Portuguese grandmother to enter white society. In her new world, she dined both at the tables of the highest society and with bohemian artists and activists. She also engaged in a decades-long affair with art critic Bernard Berenson. Greene is pure fascination--the buyer of illuminated manuscripts who attracted others to her like moths to a flame.

"Ardizzone's competent, complimentary biography explains the complicated, glamorous woman who transcended her lack of formal higher education and obfuscated her race to become head of the Pierpont Morgan Library and confidante of the financial mogul who founded it. Belle Green (1879 — 1950), the daughter of a civil rights activist who was the first African-American man to graduate from Harvard College, was plucked by J.P. Morgan's nephew Junius Morgan from the Princeton Library in 1905, where she had developed a passion for the rare pre — 15th-century illuminated manuscripts that were to become the basis of her work for Morgan. Greene became a key player in major acquisitions, such as 16 Caxtons from Lord Amherst's collection. She famously lived at full throttle, speaking her mind and taking many lovers, notably married art scholar Bernard Berenson. Morgan's death left her with a sizable inheritance, and she continued at his library. Although Ardizzone delineates the intricacies of major art transactions, she devotes more space to the copious details of Greene's flamboyant personal life than to assessments of the Morgan treasures that were her legacy. Still, Ardizzone (coauthor, Love on Trial) showcases the impressive talents of a woman who once wielded enormous power in New York society. (June)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

In a biography-cum-case study of racial identity and a major rare book collection, Ardizzone (American studies, U. of Notre Dame; Love on Trial: An American Scandal in Black and White) showcases a fascinating biracial woman who became the longtime director of the J.P. Morgan Library. She chronicles how Greene (1883-1950) crossed racial, class, and gender barriers of the time to hold this position. The book includes photographs and portraits of Greene (who passed as white), photos of her family and admirers, and details from rare manuscripts from the collection. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

The secret life of the sensational woman behind the Morgan masterpieces, who lit up New York society.

Ardizzone explores the secret life of Belle Da Costa Greene, the sensational woman behind the Morgan masterpieces, who was renowned for her self-made expertise, her acerbic wit, and her flirtatious relationships.

Heidi Ardizzone is assistant professor of American studies at the University of Notre Dame and lives in Niles, Michigan. She is coauthor of Love on Trial: An American Scandal in Black and White.