Engel, Mary M., recipient.

The "marraines de guerre" scheme was a system of philanthropic pen-pal correspondence begun during the First World War in France. The system was first proposed in French newspapers and quickly caught on with French women to aid the war effort. Wartime godmothers (marraines de guerre) would correspond with servicemen godsons (filleuls de guerre) on a regular basis and supply them with emotional support via letters and also send them such small luxuries as they could afford in the form of packages of food, tobacco, chocolate, clothing, knitted items, etc ...

Mrs. René Engel [ Mary M. Engel] served as a war godmother from 1914 to 1919 from the addresses of 58 rue Lhomond, Paris, France and 38 Avenue du Petit Parc 38, Vincennes (Seine), France. It is not clear from this collection whether Madame Engel only coordinated the "godmother" letters from others, some from Americans, or also wrote them herself.

From the guide to the World War I "filleuls de guerre" letters sent to Mary M. Engel, 1914-1919., (Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University)