Belle da Costa Greene (December 13, 1883 - May 10, 1950) Librarian to J. P. Morgan and after his death she became the first director of the Pierpont Morgan Library. December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1883 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... May 10 is the 130th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (131st in leap years). ... 1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... John Pierpont Morgan John Pierpont Morgan (April 17, 1837 – March 31, 1913), American financier and banker, was born in Hartford, Connecticut, a son of Junius Spencer Morgan (1813–1890), who was a partner of George Peabody and the founder of the house of J. S. Morgan & Co. ... The Pierpont Morgan Library, originally the private library of J.P. Morgan, was converted to a public institution in 1924 as a memorial by his son, John Pierpont Morgan (1867-1943). ...

Photo taken in 1919

She was born Belle Marion Greener in Alexandria, Virginia where she grew up until her parents separation. Her parentage has often been clouded with mystery. Her father was a distinguished attorney Richard Theodore Greener who served as dean of the Howard Law School and was the first black undergraduate at Harvard University graduated in 1870. Her mother changed their name adding "da Costa" while claiming a Portuguese background to explain their darker complexion and moved to Princeton, New Jersey. The cost of a college education out of the question, she began working at the Princeton University Library. Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. ... Howard University is a historically black university in Washington, D.C. It was established by a congressional charter in 1867, and much of its early funding came from the Freedmens Bureau. ... Harvard University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and a member of the Ivy League. ... 1870 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Princeton, New Jersey is the name of a town in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. ... For other Princetons, see Princeton. ...

Painting of
Belle da Costa Greene
by Paul César Helleu ca. 1913.

J. P. Morgan had in 1902 engaged Charles F. McKim to build him a library to the south of his Madison Avenue brownstone as his collection already was too large for his study. To manage his collection he hired her as his personal librarian in 1905. She would spend millions of dollars not only buying and selling rare manuscripts, books and art, but she traveled lavishly and frequently at times it is said taking her thoroughbred horse with her for rides in Hyde Park. She has been described as smart and outspoken as well as beautiful and sensual. While she enjoyed a Bohemian freedom, she also able to move with ease within elite society. "Just because I am a librarian," she reportedly announced, "doesn't mean I have to dress like one." She wore couturier gowns and jewels to work. 1902 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Charles Follen McKim, portrait by Frances Benjamin Johnston. ... Madison Avenue is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City which carries northbound one-way traffic. ... Four-story brownstones in Harlem, just south of 125th Street, 2004 Romanesque revival building in Colorado, built in 1890 Brownstone is a brown sandstone which was once a popular building material. ... 1905 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Hyde Park is the name of: Hyde Park, a Royal Park in London (the original location) Hyde Park in Sydney - a park some places in the United States of America: Hyde Park, Massachusetts Hyde Park, New York - a town in Dutchess County, New York Hyde Park, Vermont - a town Hyde... Bohemians are inhabitants of Bohemia, Czech Republic. ...

Not only did her bearing, style and seemingly unlimited means attract notice, but "her role at the Morgan Library placed her at the center of the art trade and her friendship was coveted by every dealer." The power that she wielded for many years was unmatched for 43 years. Her goal she told Morgan, who was willing to pay any price for important works, was to make his library "pre-eminent, especially for incunabula, manuscripts, bindings and the classics."

J.P. Morgan left her $50,000 and $10,000 a year for life, which at that time was a significant sum. Asked if she was Morgan's mistress she is said to have replied "We tried!" Although she never married, her known most lasting relationship was with Bernard Berenson whose biography mentions his wife's "reluctant acceptance (at times)" of their relationship. Bernard Berenson (1865 - 1959) was an American art historian. ...

She retired in 1948 and died in New York City two years later at 66 years of age. 1948 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the United States, the most densely populated major city in North America, and is at the center of international finance, politics, entertainment, and culture. ...