2019 - Mercy Pearce Kellogg

The woman pictured here was the head librarian at the Seward Park branch of the New York Public library from 1966 - 1987. Before that she was the head librarian at the Ottendorfer branch. Her presence is all over the Lower East Side Heritage Collection. There are still patrons alive who remember her—many recall that she was a tight-ass, which brings me to the conclusion that we probably would've gotten along with each other. Suffice to say she kept an orderly library. I did a little more research into her life as I was making the painting (I really wanted to nail down those dates of employment...) and I discovered that she was the daughter of Paul Underwood Kellogg, a founding member of the ACLU. Paul would marry Hellen Hall of Henry Street Settlement "fame", so I guess Hellen Hall was Mercy's step-mother? I'm pretty sure that she lived at the same address her entire life, 184 Sullivan Street. I am also pretty sure she lived with her brother and had no children. Anyway, this portrait is a tribute to Ms. Kellogg and all public servants who actually are public servants, whose lives are guided by purpose... people whose lives they dedicated to their public only to be remembered for being a tight-ass. The picture now hangs at the Seward Park branch on the third floor.