Sarah Lawrence College is a private liberal arts college in the United States. It is located in southern Westchester County, New York, in the city of Yonkers, 15 miles (24 km) north of Manhattan. Sarah Lawrence College was established by real-estate mogul William Van Duzer Lawrence, 1842-1927, on the grounds of his estate in Westchester County and was named in honor of his wife, Sarah Bates Lawrence, 1846-1926. The College was originally intended to provide instruction in the arts and humanities for women. A major component of the College's early curriculum was "productive leisure," wherein students were required to work for eight hours weekly in such fields as modeling, shorthand, typewriting, applying makeup, and gardening.