“An” Illuminated Life: Belle Da Costa Greene's Journey from Prejudice to Privilege

Heidi Ardizzone

W. W. Norton & Company, 2007 - Biography & Autobiography - 580 pages

What would you give up to achieve your dream? When J. P. Morgan hired Belle da Costa Greene in 1905 to organize his rare book and manuscript collection, she had only her personality and a few years of experience to recommend her. Ten years later, she had shaped the famous Pierpont Morgan Library collection and was a proto-celebrity in New York and the art world, renowned for her self-made expertise, her acerbic wit, and her flirtatious relationships. Born to a family of free people of color, Greene changed her name and invented a Portuguese grandmother to enter white society. In her new world, she dined both at the tables of the highest society and with bohemian artists and activists. She also engaged in a decades-long affair with art critic Bernard Berenson. Greene is pure fascination—the buyer of illuminated manuscripts who attracted others to her like moths to a flame.

What people are saying

Review: An Illuminated Life: Bella da Costa Greene's Journey from Prejudice to Privilege

User Review  - Angela - Goodreads

I am giving this 5 stars for the interest content of the book. The writer would get 4 stars because it got a little bogged down in the middle with anecdotes that really did not add to Belle's history ...

Review: An Illuminated Life: Bella da Costa Greene's Journey from Prejudice to Privilege

User Review  - Liah - Goodreads

Ardizzone's historical account of the colorful life of Bella da Costa Greene is very fascinating. Greene is a woman who truly dared to live life on her own terms. You can question her decision to hide ...

About the author

Heidi Ardizzone is a visiting assistant professor at the University of Notre Dame.

Bibliographic information

• Title: “An” Illuminated Life: Belle Da Costa Greene's Journey from Prejudice to Privilege
• Author: Heidi Ardizzone
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 2007
• ISBN: 0393051048, 9780393051049
• Length: 580 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Cultural Heritage; Biography & Autobiography / Women