Belle da Costa Greene: An Extraordinary Life

Wednesday, December 1, 2021, 3 PM

Tickets Options: Many of our digital programs are offered at low cost or free to the public. Please select the ticket price that best suits your needs and thank you for supporting our programming.

$25 Pay it Forward, reserve a Virtual Ticket and contribute towards keeping virtual programs accessible to those in need
$15 General Admission Virtual Ticket
$5  Limited Income Virtual Ticket
Free Reserve a free Virtual Ticket for Morgan Members, students with a valid ID, or request a free Public Ticket

Join Daria Rose Foner, Research Associate to the Director, for a lecture focused on Belle da Costa Greene (1879-1950), one of the greatest librarian-scholars of the twentieth century. Initially hired as J. Pierpont Morgan’s private librarian, Greene became the Morgan Library’s inaugural director when it opened as a public research institution in 1924. This talk introduces Greene, tracing her life story from its origins in an upper middle-class African-American community in Washington D.C. to her ascension to the pinnacle of her profession, and explores how the racial barriers of Jim Crow America led Greene, her mother, and her siblings to “pass” as white of Portuguese descent.

Please note that the program will take place online. After registering, participants will receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to participate using Zoom. We ask that you download the app in advance for the best user experience.

Photographer unknown, Belle da Costa Greene, inscribed to A.S.W. Rosenbach (To Rosie / BG), ca. 1911 (1921 or earlier). The Rosenbach, Philadelphia. 2006.2218.

Please call (212) 685-0008 ext. 560 or e-mail tickets@themorgan.org for information.