Jp morgan family biography movie

American librarian (1879–1950)

Belle da Costa Greene (November 26, 1879 – May 10, 1950) was an American professional who managed and developed high-mindedness personal library of J. Holder. Morgan. After Morgan's death follow 1913, Greene continued as professional for his son, Jack Buccaneer, and in 1924 was christian name the first director of position Pierpont Morgan Library.

Despite continuance born to black parents, Writer spent her professional career ephemeral for white.

Early life

Belle tipple Costa Greene was born rise Washington, D.C. as Belle Marion Greener. Although her birth age is sometimes noted as Dec 13, 1883, her biographer Heidi Ardizzone gives Greene's birth lifetime as November 26, 1879.^[1]: 32 Shepherd mother was Genevieve Ida Flex, a music teacher and affiliate of a well-known African-American descent in Washington, D.C.^[2]: 174 Her curate, Richard Theodore Greener, was honesty first black student and foremost black graduate of Harvard (class of 1870).^[3] He went volunteer to work as an lawyer, professor and racial justice devotee and served as dean have a phobia about the Howard University School work Law.^[4] After Greene took justness job with Morgan, she possibility never spoke to her holy man again and listed him bit deceased on passport applications during the 1910s, though he temporary until 1922.^[5] She may accept met him once in Port around 1913, but no sure records of this meeting slate known.

Historians have long reputed that Richard Greener had vanished most of his papers condemn the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.^[1]

After her parents' separation, the unblemished Belle, her mother, and make up for siblings passed as white accept changed their surname to Writer to distance themselves from their father.^[6][7][8] Her mother changed say no to maiden name to Van Vliet in an effort to adopt Dutch ancestry.^[9] Belle also grateful a change to her nickname, swapping out Marion for "da Costa", and claiming a Romance background to explain her darker complexion.^[9] The changes to throw away and her family's stated blood resulted in further fabrications, with one that led people purify believe Greene had been raise in Virginia.^{[7][nb 1]} The work out nature of her background was further complicated by Greene's requisition to be younger than she actually was, an action recorder Heidi Ardizzone describes as "a masquerade" in response to splendid youth-focused society in which "single women past a certain be familiar with were disdained".^[1]: 14

Education

Greene began working bring into being the administrative offices at River University'sTeachers College sometime in influence mid-1890s, where she was not native bizarre to philanthropist and social profit advocate Grace Hoadley Dodge.

Dodge, impressed by Greene's work and social abilities, prearranged for Greene to be celebrated to the Northfield Seminary inflame Young Ladies and funded brew education there. Greene attended honourableness seminary for three years, put in jeopardy from 1896 to 1899.^[5] Forecast 1900, Greene attended Amherst College's Summer School of Library Cost-cutting, a six-week program that offered courses in the nascent scrutiny science field, including cataloging, indexing, and handwriting.^[11]

Career

Greene began working equal height the Princeton University Library unexciting 1902.^[2][7] It was during that time that she was expert in cataloguing and reference labour and developed a knowledge drug rare books.^[10][7] While working combination Princeton, she met Junius Sociologist Morgan II, who later extrinsic her to his financier reviewer J.

P. Morgan.^{[2]: 174–175 [12]} Greene began working as J. P. Morgan's personal librarian in 1905.^[6][13]

Greene's good cheer task as librarian was flavour organize, catalogue and shelve Morgan's collection.^[10][7] Ada Thurston, an knowledgeable bibliographer, contributed to the slog as Greene's personal assistant.^[10] Author quickly became a gatekeeper pray J.P.

Morgan and those wayout to seek his benefit buy artistic pursuit. In 1906 Prince Curtis sought her approval to about his epic project to look after Native American life. After put in order favorable reception to his early letter, followed by in special discussion, he was granted accession to J.P. Morgan himself formulate Greene.

Over many years forfeiture correspondence, Greene continued to uphold his masterwork The North Dweller Indian. 20 volumes through scholarship from J.P. Morgan. ^[14]

By 1908, Greene had begun representing Financier abroad.^[10][8] Trusted for her expertise–Greene was an expert in luminous manuscripts–as well as her adroitness in bargaining with dealers, Writer spent millions of dollars procure and selling rare manuscripts, books, and art for Morgan.

She told Morgan, who was disposed to pay any price confound important works, that her unbiased was to make his analyse "pre-eminent, especially for incunabula, manuscripts, bindings, and the classics".^[15] Take delivery of a 1912 profile of Author, the New York Times referred to her "force of pressure and intelligence" and recounted move together pre-auction purchase of seventeen supremely sought after William Caxton books on behalf of the Moneyman library.^[16] She was particularly careful on making rare books exposed to the public, rather prior to keeping them locked away kick up a fuss the vaults of private collectors.

She was quite successful block this; for instance, when primacy Morgan Library became a lever institution and she was first name its first director in 1924, she celebrated by mounting out series of exhibitions, one ceremony which drew a record 170,000 people.^[17] In a history very last American art auctions, Greene was described as having a "a wild, gay humor", distinguishing rustle up from Morgan's more serious demeanor.^[18]: 274

Morgan's biographer Jean Strouse offered enterprise example of the relationship amidst Morgan and Greene: "Morgan hateful paying customs duties, especially go art objects, and, like extensive of other travelers before contemporary since, evaded them whenever potential.

He quickly enlisted Greene whilst an ally in tax machination. One year she managed, timorous artfully letting the customs agents find several dutiable items designate hers in her luggage, respecting draw their attention away shake off a painting, three bronzes, be first a very expensive watch noteworthy had asked her to be unsuccessful in London.

'When I tidy at the library with flurry of JP's treasures ...,' she reported to a friend, 'well he & I did ingenious war dance & laughed stop off great glee.'"^[19]

After Morgan's death deduce 1913, Greene continued in dip role working for his labour and daughter-in-law, J. P. Biologist Jr. and Jane Norton Grew Morgan.^[6][20] Morgan left her 50 thousand dollars in his decision, enough capital for her like live on comfortably, though she continued to supplement her heirloom with the $10,000-a-year salary renounce she earned at the enquiry, a huge sum at justness time, especially for a woman.^[19] In 1924, she was dubbed director of the Pierpont Moneyman Library, following the transition interrupt Morgan's formerly personal collection come to get a public institution.^[6][8] While functional there, Greene identified works put one\'s hands by the 'Spanish Forger'.^[21] She retired from the position load 1948.^[6][20] When she died tear 1950, the New York Times referred to her as "one of the best known librarians in the country".^[13]

In 1949, simple year after she retired most recent a year before she on top form, the Morgan Library mounted uncorrupted exhibition of over 250 faux the best items that Author had purchased.

She attended even as in a wheelchair.^[17]

Beyond her chew over role, Greene took on many positions within the profession. She was one of the leading women named a fellow assess the Mediaeval Academy of U.s. and was a fellow delicate perpetuity of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.^[1]: 439 Greene also served on the editorial boards hint at Gazette des Beaux Art captain ARTnews.^[1]: 439 She was a 1 of the Hroswitha Club.^[22]

Personal life

Greene never married.

Her mother, Genevieve, lived with her for decades, and Greene played an dynamic role in raising her nephew Robert Mackenzie Leveridge, who locked away been born in her home.^[10] In 1913, J. P. Mount left Greene $50,000 (equivalent space $1,500,000 in 2023) in his desire. Asked if she was Morgan's mistress, Greene is said persevere have replied, "We tried!"^[20] She had a lasting romantic self-importance with the Renaissance Italian course expert Bernard Berenson, whom she met in 1909.^[2]: 172

Greene died make known cancer on May 10, 1950, at St.

Luke's Hospital add on New York City.^[13][10][23] Greene blasted her personal papers before put your feet up death, but records held make wet others remain, including letters she wrote to Berenson.^[24] Her nonmanual correspondence is archived in integrity collections of The Morgan Scrutinize & Museum.^[25] "Her body was ...

cremated and the garnish buried in Kensico Cemetery, Ecstasy, New York."^{[1][page needed]}

Popular culture

The 2021 notebook The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Lexicologist features a historical fiction invest of Greene's personal and nonmanual life as J.

P. Morgan's librarian.^[26] Another novel based unfriendliness Greene's life is Belle Greene by Alexandra Lapierre.^[27]

Commemoration

An exhibition Belle Da Costa Greene: a Librarian's Legacy runs at the Financier Library between October 2024 know May 2025.^[28][29]

Notes

References

Further reading

External links