Lenon Holder Hoyte - Educator, Philantropist, Doll Museum Founder - Part 1

Lenon Holder Hoyte

July 4, 1905 – August 1, 1999

Educator, Philanthropist, Doll Museum Founder and Curator

(Photo scanned from Sotheby's catalog:  The Collection of Lenon Holder Hoyte.)

Born on Independence Day in 1905, Lenon Holder Hoyte, an educator and philanthropist, was founder and curator of Aunt Len’s Doll and Toy Museum.  The museum was housed in the three-story Harlem, New York brownstone that she shared with her pharmacist husband, Lewis P. Hoyte.  The couple had no children, but Hoyte often referred to her dolls as her babies. 

From Sotheby's 6644 auction catalog of "Aunt Len's" dolls, December 16, 1994, are items 491 and 407.  Described as "Martha Chase Black Painted Cloth Doll, American, late 19th century, stockinette face and body," is a 26-inch doll formerly owned by Aunt Len. Item 410, "Martha Chase 'Little Nell' Painted Fabric Doll, American, circa 1930, with blue eyes, applied ears, and brown hair" is a 15-1/2-inch doll from Aunt Len's Doll and Toy Museum.

As a collector of black dolls, I am always fascinated by others who share my passion.  While Aunt Len’s collection was not restricted to black dolls, her museum included several.  Throughout my years of collecting, I have heard the name Lenon Hoyte or Aunt Len mentioned by other collectors or by those closely connected to the doll community.  These people often inquired whether I 1) knew Hoyte or 2) visited her museum.  My answer has always been “no” because I began collecting a few years prior to Aunt Len’s demise and was not aware of her or the museum until after her passing. 

For the benefit of others who are not aware of Ms. Hoyte’s contribution to the doll community, I felt compelled to create this compilation of information about her.  The information herein was gleaned from various Internet sources, to include two biographies, periodicals, and Ms. Hoyte’s L.A. Times and New York Times obituaries. Doll images were scanned from a Sotheby’s catalog of over 400 dolls from the Aunt Len’s Doll and Toy Museum.  The ultimate goal is to document the most pertinent information about Hoyte’s life as a collector to familiarize others with this remarkable woman.

Personal Information

Born Lenon Holder on July 4, 1905, in New York City; daughter of Moses Emanuel and Rose Pari (Best) Holder; married Lewis P. Hoyte on September 1, 1938; died on August 1, 1999, in New York City.
Education: New York Teachers Training School, 1930; City College of New York (CCNY), BS, 1937; Teaching Certificate in Special Education, 1940, Columbia University; doctoral equivalent, 1959, CCNY.
Religion: Episcopalian.
Memberships/Affiliations:
Harlem Hospital, secretary to the lay advisory board; National Doll and Toy Collectors Club; Phi Delta Kappa Sorority, 1st Basileus, 1953; St. [Philips] Episcopal Church, Upper 2 Society; United Federation of Doll Clubs.

Early Life, Education, Teaching Career

Hoyte was the oldest of five children of Rose Pari (Best) and Moses Emanuel Holder.   After attending the New York Teachers Training School, she began teaching in New York City public schools in 1930, where she remained until her retirement in 1970.  She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in education from CCNY in 1937.  She earned her teaching certificate in special education from Columbia University in 1940.

Lenon Hoyte remained a student as well as an educator for much of her career.  She studied art at CCNY, at Columbia University, and with private teachers. In 1959 Hoyte earned her Ph.D. equivalent from CCNY. 

Mrs. Hoyte often used dolls in the classroom as teaching aids (Photo scanned from Sotheby's catalog:  The Collection of Lenon Holder Hoyte.)

Between 1940 and 1950 Hoyte taught mentally disabled children. Between 1950 and 1970 she taught art, crafts, puppetry, and doll making. She was a lecturer at the Museum of Natural History and the workshop coordinator for the Workshop Center for Open Education at CCNY. After 41 years in her profession, Hoyte retired from teaching art at Junior High School 149 in the Bronx. Her decision to retire was explained in The New York Times obituary by William H. Honan, who quoted Hoyte as saying, "When they started killing teachers, I got out."

Life's Work

After 40 years as an art and special education teacher in New York City public schools, Lenon Hoyte--commonly known as Aunt Len--founded Aunt Len's Doll and Toy Museum in her Harlem home. It was one of the nation's largest private collections of dolls and related toys and became one of New York City's most popular specialty museums during its years of operation between 1970 and 1994.

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