Ethel Dench Puffer Howes founded the Institute for the Coordination of Women's Interests at Smith University. The Institute's main interest was the study of domestic responsibilities and the society's attitudes toward the roles of men and women. In 1905 she wrote The Psychology of Beauty. Topics in this work include: Criticism and aesthetics --The nature of beauty --The aesthetic repose --The beauty of fine art; The beauty of visual form; Space composition among the old masters --The beauty of music --The beauty of literature --The nature of the emotions of the drama --The beauty of ideas.