Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Wilhelm II, Kaiser, 1859-1941 to George Sylvester Viereck

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC05508.263 Author/Creator: Wilhelm II, Kaiser, 1859-1941 Place Written: Doorn, Netherlands Type: Autograph letter signed Date: February 14, 1929 Pagination: 1 p. : + Ph. : envelope Order a Copy

Wilhelm comments that he wrote a preface to a German edition (title not mentioned) to "correct erroneous views still prevalent about Empress Frederick." He also discuss debates about the "New Religion" and the "hopeless chaos in American spirits" that cannot be unraveled in newspaper articles. He asserts that religion, belief, and faith come from the heart and have nothing to do with the brain or scientific thinking. Written on the back of a signed photo of Wilhelm with his dog.

William II, German Emperor, 1859-1941

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