Skip to main content
Please contact the Booth Family Center for Special Collections for assistance with accessing these materials.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin - R. J. Houdin Collection

 Collection
Identifier: GTM-GAMMS176

Collection-level Scope and Content Note

This collection consists of 18 letters written by Rev. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin to a French acquaintance, Mme. R.J. Houdin. In January 1986, Mme. Houdin gave the letters to Rev. Pierre Leroy, S.J., friend and fellow Jesuit of Teilhard de Chardin. She died not many years after, on September 25, 1989. The correspondence is extremely personal in nature, containing advice from Teilhard to Mme. Houdin relating to her friend Andre and to her children Gerard and Corinne, as well as to her grandchild Thierry. Written between 1951 and 1955, the correspondence also recounts Teilhard's life in New York, with some references to his various trips from there to South Africa and to California and Maine. The letters in this collection are unpublished. They are remarkable for the insight they provide into the character of Teilhard de Chardin in private life as a friend and confidant. The correspondence also includes one letter from Fr. Leroy to Mme. Houdin. This collection is part of a group of collections at Georgetown University relating to the work and friends of Teilhard de Chardin (see the Special Collections catalog, 1989, pp.72-73).

Dates

  • 1951 - 1969
  • Majority of material found within 1951 - 1955

Collection-level Access Restrictions

Most manuscripts collections at the Georgetown University Booth Family Center for Special Collections are open to researchers; however, restrictions may apply to some collections. Collections stored off site require a minimum of three days for retrieval. For use of all manuscripts collections, researchers are advised to contact the Booth Family Center for Special Collections in advance of any visit.

Conditions Governing Use

Reproduction requests for materials authored by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin must be approved by the Teilhard Estate.

Researchers are solely responsible for determining the copyright status of the materials being used, establishing who the copyright owner is, locating the copyright owner, and obtaining permission for intended use

Extent

0.25 Linear Feet (1 box)

Language of Materials

English

Title
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin - R. J. Houdin Collection
Status
Completed
Author
Georgetown University Library Booth Family Center for Special Collections
Date
10/03/1990
Description rules
Local Practice
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Revision Statements

  • 2022: Conditions Governing Use note updated by John Zarrillo

Repository Details

Part of the Georgetown University Manuscripts Repository

Contact:
Lauinger Library, 5th Floor
37th and O Streets, N.W.
Washington DC 20057