HISTORICAL FICTION
Belle daCosta Green (aka Belle Marion Greener)
Personal Librarian to JP Morgan
I’m not sure what hit me the hardest…the fact that a woman in 1908 was entrusted with seeking out rare manuscripts for JP Morgan, or the fact that she was African American and “passing” as white.
What a delicate balance her life was. Socializing with the “robber barons” all the while looking over her shoulder to see if she’d been found out. Secrets. Love. Shadows. Jealousy. Trust. High Society. Family. Responsibilities.
Not only did she earn Morgan’s trust and respect, she shouldered the responsibility of being the primary breadwinner for her family. Working tirelessly. Being ruthless in her pursuit of rare antiquities to fill the library. Seeing the bigger picture in creating a library open to the public, and not just the privileged few. All this before women even had the right to vote.
There were pitfalls to her life choices…primarily the loss of a relationship that would have included marriage and children. How did her mother and siblings, who also “passed” but managed to have traditional lives, view her? As a beloved sister, daughter? A meal ticket? A means to an end? What price did Greener truly pay for her professional successes?
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