Edith Wharton
Worked here
Library of Congress records identify an American Hostel at this address. The American Hostels for Refugees were run under Wharton's leadership with Royall Tyler.
American Hostels for Refugees, Maison de Repos, 46 rue du Docteur-Blanche
Still standing
Outside only
A building
A rest house of the American Hostels for Refugees, the organisation Edith Wharton ran with Royall Tyler for civilians displaced by the German advance into Belgium and northern France.
- 46 rue du Docteur-Blanche, 75016 Paris
- The First World War
Illustration
The place, briefly
When the German army moved into Belgium and northern France in 1914, civilians came south in enormous numbers with nothing. The American Hostels for Refugees was set up to receive them, and it was run under Edith Wharton's leadership with Royall Tyler.
The scale is easy to underestimate. The organisation provided lodging, meals, clothing, medical care, employment and schooling, and it kept doing so for years. This address served as a maison de repos — a rest house, for people who needed convalescence rather than only a bed. Library of Congress photographic records identify an American Hostel here.
Wharton wrote comparatively little fiction during the war because she was doing this instead, and her health suffered for it. The Legion of Honour she received in 1916 was for this work rather than for her books.
Nothing marks the address today.
Key facts
- American Hostels for Refugees
- Edith Wharton with Royall Tyler
- A maison de repos — a rest house for convalescent refugees
- Library of Congress photographic records
- Nothing survives of the hostel
In images
Timeline
Refugees from Belgium and northern France reach Paris; the American Hostels are organised.
Wharton is made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour for her relief work.
On the map
Questions before you go
What were the American Hostels for Refugees?
A relief organisation run by Edith Wharton and Royall Tyler during the First World War, providing lodging, food, clothing, medical care, work and schooling to civilians displaced by the German advance.
Writers who knew this place
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References
The sources below include histories, archival materials, scholarly research, and official records that informed this page. They document American Hostels for Refugees, Maison de Repos, 46 rue du Docteur-Blanche, the people connected to it, and its place in Paris.
1American Hostel for Refugees, Paris (photograph record)
ArchiveLibrary of CongressUsed forArchival evidence used to document the historical record connected to American Hostels for Refugees, Maison de Repos, 46 rue du Docteur-Blanche.
2Edith Wharton: A Chronology
WebsiteThe Edith Wharton SocietyUsed forWeb source consulted for documented facts and historical context presented on the American Hostels for Refugees, Maison de Repos, 46 rue du Docteur-Blanche page.
3The Book of the Homeless (Le livre des sans-foyer)
NonfictionCharles Scribner's Sons, 1916Used forPublished analysis and historical context used in preparing the American Hostels for Refugees, Maison de Repos, 46 rue du Docteur-Blanche page.
4Edith Wharton
BiographyAlfred A. Knopf, 2007Used forBiographical evidence used to verify chronology, relationships, and historical context connected to American Hostels for Refugees, Maison de Repos, 46 rue du Docteur-Blanche.
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Why these sources are here
These references provide the documented foundation for this page's history and context. Claim-level citations remain attached to the specific claims they support.
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Paris, one address at a time.
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