LENS-ARTISTS CHALLENGE #220 – One Subject Three Ways Pt. 3

(Patti leads.)

“So, (don’t stop me now)
(Don’t stop me)
‘Cause I’m having a good time, having a good time”
— Queen

I’ve been dying to share pictures of the Morgan Library and Museum, NYC. I feel like I discovered this gem all by myself. I could be the only person that DIDN’T know it was there, until I started looking at maps prior to my August ’22 visit.

Pierpont Morgan, a.k.a. John Pierpont Morgan Sr., whose wealth was equivalent to today’s billionaires, collected books as well as money and other things. (Unusual factoid: Morgan was scheduled to sail on the ill-fated voyage of the Titanic, but cancelled at the last minute. (Wikipedia.) Did he have a sinking feeling?)

Regardless, he assembled a fantastic collection of books and built a library for them. His son continued the maintenance and bequeathed them to the public. (Another factoid: Belle da Costa Greene worked at the library from 1905 to 1948 and was director for the last 24 years of her employment. African-American, she passed for white most of her life.)

Wikipedia enlightens on Greene and the Morgans.

Regardless, again, let the pictures speak the thousand words:

There are 3 Gutenberg Bibles in the collection, 2 of which were on display. Here are views of one:

Bonus pic:

How did one get to the upper tiers? Besides ‘verrrrry carefully’, by the entrance were secret doors that pulled out the shelves to reveal spiral staircases:

Ok, stop me now.

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