The Ridge Historical Society
March: Women’s History Month – Part 4 on the Hofer Sisters
By Carol Flynn
“Through all this forceful, excellent work the efforts of one woman have been particularly effective. Though working quietly and modestly, Chicago possesses no benefactor more logical, and far sighted, and public spirited than Mrs. Amalia Hofer Jerome. Mrs. Jerome is editor of the Kindergarten magazine, has for several years conducted a kindergarten training school bearing her name at the commons, and has been chairman of the playgrounds committee of the permanent school extension.”
– Chicago Tribune, July 31, 1910
This accolade was written for the third Hofer sister, Amalie, who with her four siblings, became a leader in the kindergarten, settlement, and playground movements, well beyond the borders of Chicago.
Oldest sister Mari was a recognized expert in music education and programs; second sister Bertha was a renowned educator and administrator.
Amalie Hofer Jerome (1863-1941) was most associated with publishing, speaking, and playgrounds, as well as being an educator.
Amalie learned about the publishing trade from working with her father at the family’s newspaper in Iowa. All eight children were involved in running the newspaper. Her three brothers moved to the West coast and started newspapers of their own. Amalie and her younger sister Andrea moved to Chicago and published materials for the kindergarten profession.
Like her sisters, Amalie came to Chicago to further her education and career. She graduated from the Chicago Kindergarten College, the program conducted by Elizabeth Harrison, and took graduate classes at the University of Chicago.
Amalie went to work as an instructor in the kindergarten department of the Armour Institute, now the Illinois Institute of Technology.
In 1892, the Hofer sisters took over as editors of the floundering Kindergarten Magazine, started around 1886. They revitalized the publication, which offered scholarly articles, book reviews, detailed reports of presentations at education conferences, and sharing of information from kindergarten programs around the globe. It was the only magazine of its kind, and the leaders of the kindergarten and other social movements contributed to it. Articles covered everything from psychology and international education politics to ideas for classroom crafts and holiday parties.
The sisters set up their own publishing company, the Kindergarten Literature Company, with an office downtown, and also started a magazine for children and mothers called Child Garden of Story, Song, and Play. Hofers ran these magazines for over ten years.
One newspaper described all of the Hofer sisters as “deep and clear thinkers” having “great energy and enterprise.” They often worked together but they also all had their own careers and interests. Amalie seemed to be everywhere at once. Listing all of her accomplishments is not possible, but here are a few highlights.
Amalie found time to be principal of her sister Bertha’s training school for kindergarten teachers, started at the Chicago Commons Social Settlement. She taught at the prestigious Chatauqua Summer Schools for teachers in New York. She taught at the Summer School of the South in Knoxville, Tennessee, with sister Mari. She was the U.S. delegate to the Paris Educational Conference. She was a member of the Publications Committee of the Western Drawing Teachers’ Association and spoke at their annual meetings. She was a leader of a PEO in Illinois.
During the annual meeting of the National Education Association in 1892, a group of kindergarten professionals proposed the formation of an organization to focus on the interests of this growing area of practice, and to work on programs for the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The International Kindergarten Union was started, and Mari, Bertha, Amalie, and Andrea Hofer became charter members. Amalie later served as president.
Amalie took a four-month trip around the world to visit kindergartens in other countries. She visited Cuba, the Hawaiian Islands, Japan, China, India, Egypt, the Philippines, Italy, France, and England. Upon her return, she gave “delightfully interesting and educational talks” on her travels. Throughout her career she was a frequent presenter and author of articles, known for her practical and engaging approach.
Next post: More on Amalie Hofer Jerome.