Portrait of John Notman by Samuel Bell Waugh, 1845. (Wikipedia)

Versatile and Prolific in Princeton and Beyond

By Anne Levin

For two months last summer, an exhibit about architect John Notman was on view at Princeton Public Library. “John Notman: All the Presidents’ Houses” was small, but significant — so much so that it was moved to the building’s lobby during Princeton Reunions weekend, the annual Princeton University event that brings thousands to town.

Those alumni were likely familiar with the four buildings in the show — the Walter Lowrie House (1845) on Stockton Street, which is home to the president of the University; Prospect House (1851) , today a dining club on campus for University faculty and staff; Guernsey Hall (1852) in Marquand Park, which was eventually divided into condominiums; and Springdale (1851), the Mercer Street home to the president of Princeton Theological Seminary. Three of the buildings are Italianate in style. Springdale, described as “cottage Gothic,” is the only outlier. more

Spread some holiday cheer this year by helping to fulfill the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) Holiday Wish List. Each year, TASK works to ensure that everyone in the community has a festive and meaningful holiday season. By donating warm winter weather gear, toys, and food, you can help make the holidays even more special for neighbors in need. more

Dear Readers,

Welcome to your Fall issue of Princeton Magazine. Very much like the previous issue, it features articles about Princeton but also demonstrates the historic impact of this small town on the nation.

Our cover story is about the amazing Belle da Costa Greene who, just by happenstance, seems to have been written for this year’s presidential election. Just imagine a Black woman living the lie that she is white in a world that, at the time, was very much tied up in racism, sexism, and classism. more

Theodore C. Marceau (1859–1922), Belle da Costa Greene, May 1911. (Biblioteca Berenson, I Tatti, The Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies)

Overcoming Racism, Sexism, and Classism In the Gilded Age

By Ilene Dube

As the personal librarian to financier J.P. Morgan, Belle da Costa Greene was one of the most influential people in the art and book world. She was courted by dealers, embraced by the socially powerful, and profiled for her accomplishments at a time when working women were rare.

Even before women won the right to vote, Greene was one of the most prominent career women of the early 20th century. She pursued and curated a collection of rare books, manuscripts, and art that became world-renowned. She was regarded as an authority on illuminated manuscripts, and because of her work, the Morgan Library became known as a collection of rare books, manuscripts, and art that competed with such esteemed institutions as the British Museum.  more

Snowy owl (shutterstock.com)

Live Bird Cams Bring the Outside In

By Taylor Smith

With programs like Google Earth, anyone anywhere in the world can transport themselves into another scene, another habitat, and another place. Similarly, bird cams serve as a virtual window into the lives of birds. The trend of streaming bird cams really heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many people felt shut indoors and disconnected from the world around them. Webcams showcasing divergent bird species became voyeuristic, fun, and educational.

One of the leading bird cam websites is CornellLab Bird Cams at allaboutbirds.org/cams. Viewers can watch albatross chicks stretching their wings, elder ospreys devouring a fish, red-tailed hawks curiously staring into the camera, and pileated woodpeckers (indigenous to New York state) foraging for larvae and ants within some tree bark.  more