Patti Smith sings for the 100th anniversary of the Morgan Library & Museum

The Morgan Library and Museum attracted devotees for a party celebrating its centennial, including Peter Marino, Vito Schnabel and Walton Ford.

Over a century ago, J.P. Morgan built a majestic library for his opulent Midtown Manhattan mansion. After his death, his son, financier Jack Morgan, opened it to the public in 1924 and eventually became the Morgan Library & Museum. Last night, crowds of well-to-do patrons and bibliophiles gathered in this grand library to witness Morgan's centennial celebration.

Beneath the stained glass windows and murals from Dante and Socrates, guests in tuxedos sipped martinis while a violinist performed classic covers of pop songs by Keane and Taylor Swift. Waiters weaved through the crowds, carrying platters of hors d'oeuvres of duck croissants and caviar, as they passed shelves lined with rare editions of works by Rousseau and Voltaire.

Morgan devotees as well as architect Peter Marino, art dealer Vito Schnabel and artist Walton Ford were present. Patti Smith and her daughter, Jesse Paris Smith, who would soon perform a song together at the evening's dinner, stepped away from the aperitif to stroll through the "Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature" exhibit, which features the manuscripts and illustrated letters from the creator of Peter Rabbit and Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle.

“Through his ephemera, you can feel Potter looking at his paintbrushes,” Patti said Smith. “The Morgan collection pays homage to the hand that writes the book. You get a sense of what an artist or writer was thinking as they created. You can see the energy oozing out of the ink-stained pages of Beethoven."

ImageMorgan Library & Museum Director Colin B. Bailey cuts a cake that looks like a stack of books.

ImageThe soprano Latonia Moore.

ImageMedia and automotive heiress Katharine Rayner.

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