Journey Through Time: A Visual History of Lesley and the Art Institute of Boston

The Origins of Lesley

In 1909, Edith Lesley Wolfard established the Lesley Normal School to train young women as kindergarten teachers. The first class consisted of just nine students, who gathered to learn in the school’s sole building at the time—Edith’s home at 29 Everett Street. Edith Lesley, a Cambridge-based kindergarten teacher, founded the two-year school with a curriculum focused on early childhood education. She personally taught courses in philosophy, child development, and the educational theories of Friedrich Froebel, the founder of the kindergarten movement. Her sister, Olive Lesley, contributed by teaching folk dancing, games, and storytelling. In 1917, the Lesley Normal School was renamed the Lesley School.

1920s: A Time of Growth

Durimg the 1920s, practice teaching and observation were added to the curriculum of the Department of Kindergarten Training and the Department of Primary Training. Students were required to join one of the following activities as part of their course work: Committee Work, Dramatic Group, Glee Club, Gymnasium, or Orchestra. By 1929, the Lesley School offered 75 courses for students in the subjects of Kindergarten Training, Primary Training, and Domestic Science. The Lesley School's enrollment reached more than 300 students, both boarding and day. The campus also expanded in 1922 with the acquisition of three dormitories and Alumni Hall, which was used for classrooms and an assembly hall.

The beginning of a four-year teacher-training program

The Great Depression presented challenges and a declining enrollment at Lesley. In 1934, only 63 students were taking classes. However, by the end of the decade, the Lesley School continued to develop its curriculum and began a four-year teacher-training program. The Department of Domestic Science was renamed the Department of Home Economics. After 30 years of private ownership, the Lesley School was incorporated as a non-profit institution.

Becoming a College

The first Board of Trustees was established in 1941 to make Lesley a school of "collegiate caliber." By 1943, the Lesley School became a four-year, not-for-profit educational institution and was authorized by the state of Massachusetts to be renamed Lesley College and given the right to confer the degree of Bachelor of Science in Education. The first bachelor's degrees were conferred in June 1945; The Home Economics Department was abolished around the same time. Three private elementary schools - the Lesley-Ellis, Dearborn and Carroll-Hall - were acquired to provide students a "Laboratory for Learning." According to the Alumnae Association, there were already over 2,000 Lesley School graduates scattered all over the United States and the world.