The Personal Librarian: A Book Review

“I hope this doesn’t embarrass you, but many of the women I live and work with look to you as an example.” “I’ve heard of that before, but I’m not sure why women think of me that way.” “You are one of the most successful career women of our day, commanding thousands of dollars in the art world with the backing of one of the world’s most powerful men.”

This quote is such a powerful one, not only because it gives readers a window into Belle da Costa Greene’s world; but it shows the power of how a person with gusto, ingenuity and bravery can overcome many obstacles. 

The Personal Librarian written by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray tells the story of Belle da Costa Greene who was a Black woman passing as white during the 1900s-1940s. Belle was the personal librarian for the banking powerhouse and commerce figure John Pierpont Morgan. His name still rings in people’s ears as his banking is still prominent in society. I never heard of this story until my husband bought me this book. Belle defied the notion of women just being plain secretaries and librarians. She commanded respect not only as a woman, but also for her intellect and her robust way of curating precious historical manuscripts, books and artifacts for the library. 

Belle was born Belle Marion Greener to Genevieve Fleet and Richard Greener. Her mother was from a Black socialite family in Washington, D.C. while her father was an activist and the first Black male to graduate from Harvard. Her father was a prominent figure and was an ambassador representative of the United States. Her father was an early historical civil rights activist in the early 1900s. Unfortunately, Jim Crow laws became a staple in the south with more prejudice affecting Blacks every day. The amount of racism could affect one’s life. Belle’s mother wanted the best for their children as they lived in NYC. She decided that the children would be listed in the Census as white because their skin tone was fair enough that they could pass for white. Belle and her brother were slightly darker and had to state they had Portuguese genes to give reason for their slightly olive skin tone. Belle’s father left and her family changed their last name to Greene. Belle and her brother added de Costa to their last name which is Portuguese and stated they had a Portuguese grandmother. No one should bat an eye with that information. 

Belle  worked in Princeton Library, but she had such a hunger for history. Her father gave her a book on art history written by Bernard Berenson who she later encountered in her adulthood. This thriving passion and hunger for historical art and artifacts led Belle to be noticed by Junius Morgan, the nephew of J.P. Morgan. He recommended her to his uncle to be J.P.’s personal librarian. One of the stipulations for working with him was that she HAD to acquire Thomas Malory’s Le Morte Darthur printed in 1845 by the famous printer and publisher William Caxton. Everyone knows that Johann Gutenberg in 1440 was the first to print the written word. However, Caxton was the one to bring manuscripts to print in England in 1476. This particular Caxton printed in 1845, told the tale of King Arthur and his Round Table as they were searching for the Holy Grail. Belle thought perhaps this acquisition of the Caxton was J.P. Morgan’s personal quest to showcase that the Pierpont Morgan Library could be an unrivaled, and masterpiece in the world to share. 

Throughout the years, Belle would rise in fame as a curator. She rivaled others at auctions. No one would think that such a petite young woman could compete against them at anything. Let alone be a woman and a black woman at that hidden in plain sight.  A good quote from the book as a fellow rival asked if she could handle such a feat for J. P. Morgan. She said “I am personally  authorized to make the decisions and purchases all on his behalf. Entirely as I see fit. Yes it is an awfully big job and being a woman, I know that I must do my job twice as well as any man to be thought of half as good.”  

Belle had the power of persuasion, using whatever means she had in her power to get the best items for the library. She had the financial backing and once spent $50k on one book. Belle made headlines every time she bought something big; even when she would enter an auction house, the press would ask her what she was going to buy. Belle also made certain that she dressed to the nines. She did not want to look like a regular librarian. Belle’s sense of style, if one were to make a movie of this, would be deemed as one of the socialite elites or Hollywood fame. Belle also made sure her family was taken care of since her salary provided for the majority of their living. Her sisters were educators and her brother was studying to be an engineer. Belle also had to be careful as any mistake would not only cost her the job, but the livelihood of her family. No one could find out she was Black especially at these dangerous and racial tensions that were mounting everyday in society. 

Belle worked hard to raise the Pierpont Morgan Library to an unrivaled status and managed to get the Holy Grail Caxton that J.P. wanted badly. How she got it, I will not divulge. You will have to read the book! It is though something to behold as she was as cunning, and resourceful as J. P. Morgan himself. She basically became his right hand. He was her mentor and helped show her how society was in his class. He invited her into his world. He trusted her explicitly and she was one person he could always count on. When J.P. Morgan died in 1913, she continued on as the director of the Morgan Library and Museum  and made it public along with the backing of J.P’s son. Belle continued to make the museum thrive and when she died, in 1950 just a few years after retiring. Belle had worked for the Morgans for 43 years of her life and made the museum into one of the intriguing cultural centers for learning and scholarship. When she retired, the Times Magazine wrote an intriguing and fitting article, Education: Belle of the Books showcasing the changes she made not only for the Morgan Library, but also the world.

Belle made an impact on not only curating the historical world, but also for women’s rights. She was able to show women that yes, you can do this job with enough guts and make noise to get there. There were several people in her life who were suspicious about her racial identity. She burned the majority of her correspondence to hide her real identity. Biographer Heidi Aridzzone was able to discover more about Belle through letters to her lover Bernard Berenson. There was a letter which depicts suspicion about her race and is provided by the Princeton University Library where she worked and trained. This link also depicts a photo of Belle at an auction bidding $50k for a book.

The Institute of English Studies provides information and photos of the life of Belle and her lover Bernard which her biographer had discovered.  You will also discover that there aren’t many photographs or portraits of this historical gem of a lady. I had to dig deep online just to find anything of what she looks like and get more information about her. One day I will be buying her the biography of this extraordinary woman. Vanderbilt University wrote a piece on Belle. She did have dealings with the Vanderbilts which were a prominent socialite family during that time and beyond.

The Medieval Art and the American Public: A Digital Narrative provides a vast resource about Belle and J.P. Morgan. The Medieval Academy of America also provides an award/scholarship for medievalists of color so they would be able to travel and complete research. Belle’s contribution to education has definitely made this possible.

This past August 26, the North Bergen Free Library dedicated an article on Belle’s life for Women’s Equality Day. There you will find more photos of her and they talk of her unique dress style, her early education and even how she fought for more pay for women librarians. Librarians which were mostly women in the early 1900s were vastly underpaid along with library workers. This woman was a force to be reckoned with in her own right.

Lastly, I could not end my research without mentioning The Morgan Library and Museum. It is because of Belle that we have to thank for pushing the frontier of curators and librarians alike. In the past year they had an exhibit of the Women of the Morgan which ended this past January.

The Morgan Library and Museum also wrote a thorough page on the life of their dear Belle and there is a terracotta bust of Belle. One would think there would be plenty of sculpted busts of her as her fame was as equal as J.P. Morgan. Alas it is not, and as I stated earlier, there are not a lot of photographs, or other portraits of her. They also offer on their YouTube page a documentary that is worth watching on the life of Belle da Costa Greene and two other women who helped to make The Morgan Library and Museum a scholastic staple.

In 2024, the Morgan Library and Museum will have a major exhibition of their esteemed first director. This major exhibition coincides with the centenary celebration of the museum being a public institution. They have Belle da Costa Greene to thank for having this beloved institution for pushing it to go public. She believed that knowledge should be shared by not only scholars, but those who are interested in learning more. What a better way than to celebrate her life, skills and dedication to history. 

Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray have achieved the impossible; they brought to life a woman who was quite long forgotten besides her biography written in 2007. Of course the Morgan Library and Museum would never forget her, but these two women brought Belle to the masses. They proved that using history and novelization can transport one back to the past and be literally enthralled. This is the second book where I have actually found possible ancestors that were mentioned and it was meant for me to read this book. Go buy The Personal Librarian today at Bookshop.org written by two phenomenal co-authors who are moving mountains and shaking up the book and historical world. If you want to dig deeper into the life of Belle, grab a copy of the biography of An Illuminated Life: Belle da Costa Greene’s Journey from Prejudice to Privilege by Heidi Ardizzone.

I hope one day that this novel is made into a film and both these women authors have a turn at producing this. Belle’s story is something that should not be forgotten once the book is closed. Towards the end, I found two powerful passages that touched me. “One day, Belle, we will be able to reach back through the decades and claim you as one of our own. Your accomplishments will be part of history; they’ll show doubtful white people what colored people can do. Until that time, live your life proudly.”

I am glad to have read this book and gained more insight into this woman, but also into how one had to hide her identity in order to safely take care of her family and her career. Belle da Costa Greene was a forerunner of making sure women would not get left behind. She was robust in her manner and pushed for knowledge for others. That is what books are to me and learning. You can pass on knowledge to others, or just for yourself. There is something about art and written words that will always help lift one’s soul. All you have to do is look or always ask a Librarian for a helping hand.  

Belle did live her life proudly, boldly and with as much honor as she could bestow upon her friends, J.P. Morgan, her family and most importantly herself.  I will leave this review with this as this quote just also left me breathless and I hope the authors appreciate my quoting their great work. I have become a fan of their work and look forward to more.  “Mr. Morgan was a powerful and generous force in your life, and through you, in our family’s life. But make no mistake about it, Belle. You made yourself into the person you’ve become. He gave you the opportunity, but every bit of your success belongs to you. You are Belle da Costa Greene.”

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