Personal Librarian
Hi, this is Ann Mary Mullane of Sunday to Sunday Productions with another episode of The Witness podcast.
Recently, I read The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Mary. This historical novel is set from 1905 through 1948, and it's an intelligent beach read. It's the story of JP Morgan's real-life personal librarian for his collection of rare books and art. Belle da Costa Greene became a formidable figure in the private art collection world and a trusted confidant of JP Morgan in 1905. Having this kind of power and influence was rare for a woman. Belle was valued for her intelligence, her depth of artistic knowledge, and her clever business acumen. Yet, she lived with a heavy personal cloud hanging over her head.
Now, da Costa Greene was a black woman passing as white. She was born into a minuit society of Black people who were allowed a degree of achievement. I'm not giving away more than you'd find on the book jacket. Here's the twist. Her dad, Richard Theodore Greener was the first Black graduate of Harvard. When the Greener family was driven from his faculty position at the University of South Carolina by a racist mob a serious family split occurred. Belle's mom declared her light-skinned children as white on the US Census. Her black father chose to be an activist. Mom had an all-inclusive plan that included the name change, and the invention of a Portuguese grandmother to justify their olive-tone skin. Well, Belle lived with this secret her whole life.
Now, I don't think we ever outgrow self-doubt. You know, that gnawing feeling that once again, we are just not good enough. This feeling could be in our work, our relationships, or just in the pit of our stomachs. Often we can snap ourselves out of it by asking who or what is creating this feeling? And why does it matter? Belle da Costa Greene’s days of self-doubt were extremely different. In the days of Jim Crow laws, her extraordinary knowledge and love of art would have been deemed meaningless in both the art world and beyond if her secret was exposed.
Authenticity comes from living a life that aligns with who you are down to your very core. The Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor believes in the ethic of authenticity. While Taylor doesn't completely dismiss today's trite phrases, all of us want to live in our uniqueness and contribute to the world accordingly. And Taylor doesn't buy the one size fits all theory. The reader's guide poses the question: did Belle regret her choice to hide her true identity? Belle chose to live this secret her whole life and her salary paid for her siblings' education, giving them a step up in life and a better life.
She did suffer a time period of heavy drinking as she wrestled with our conscience. She was against marrying and having children for fear of what skin tone the children might have. In the early 1900s marriage and children would have ended a career for any Woman without worrying about passing as white. Her choice also protected and advanced her family without hurting anyone. That's a value high up on the virtue scale in my book. Now, it also seems inconceivable that no one tried to whisper Belle's secret to JP Morgan. There would have been a lot to gain to share such a secret with a man of his influence and power.
JP Morgan was a good businessman, bold, ruthless, and knowledgeable. His collection of rare books began as a tax dodge since books were not subject to import taxes. So you can say always a businessman. His pastime and tax dodge became an important part of his identity. He came to love them as a hobby or sport, and would often have Belle read to him from the ancient volumes. He had great respect and affection for Belle, who shared his love for Incunabula. Incunabula means rare books printed before 1501. Oh, yes, I had to look that word up.
Did JP Morgan feel that he was living an authentic life? We'll never really know. We've watched each other's lives from the outside. While we know how we feel when we stray from our personal authenticity, we judge others' lives by the outside trappings. Judging and labeling is perhaps the number one human weakness for Belle. Her childhood interest fostered by her dad became her career. Her career was a major part of her identity. Her authenticity and her expertise became her shield that tamped down rumors that surfaced from time to time. Belle lived in a world that celebrated her strengths.
Did JP Morgan know? My guess is that he did and chose to ignore it. I know it's my judgment. But JP Morgan seems secure in his uniqueness. So I don't think that he would be threatened by another's authenticity. In other words, they found a common ground for respect.
Thank you. This is Ann Mary Mullane for Sunday to Sunday Witness from Kearney, New Jersey. Please subscribe to Sunday to Sunday and tell your friends about us. Check out our full website and other free resources at sundaytosunday.net. Thank you, and we'll see you next time.
