Playing the Race Card

One reason I'll never get a tattoo is because I get sick of the "same ole thing," and want to change.  I was born with dark brown hair--so dark it looked black.  As an adult, I colored it blonde.  I got sick of that and had my hair "frosted."  Then I tried streaked with blonde.  Finally, after suffering from alopecia, I have left it "au naturel."  It's time, after all.  Old people have white hair. Then, there was a time I had double ear piercings.  I got tired of that look, and now I have only single earrings, if I wear any at all.

My point is that I keep changing my mind.  I'd want to change my tattoos, I'm sure.  Besides, I've always wanted to be what I am not, i.e., blonde, skinny, shorter, thicker lips, bigger eyes, etc.  So, I perfectly understand how Belle Da Costa Greene wanted to be white; even more so, in her time period.  You do what you have to do.

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray is about a lady pretending to be white, when she was not.  She pulled it off.  She would not have the job she had, were she not white.  

 This is a story about Belle Da Costa Greene and how she became J. P. Morgan's personal librarian.  He was trying to establish his library to be a respected institution with rare museum quality books, manuscripts, art, etc.  After J. P. Morgan died, she continued on in her job and became the first director of the Morgan library.

The book highlights how unique she was in this man's world.  Often, at auctions, she'd be the only female.  She was very fashionable and often accompanied J. P. Morgan to social events.  She frequently was mentioned in newspapers and magazines.  An extraordinary lady and story.

“Fifty Thousand Dollars for that Book!” The World (New York, NY), May 21, 1911, World Magazine Sunday supplement, p. 1.

Library of Congress Blog: Belle de Costa Greene: Library Director, Advocate, and Rare Books Expert. | Headlines & Heroes