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The Cathedrals of Fifth Avenue, 1931–32
Florine Stettheimer (American, 18711944)
Oil on canvas; 60 1/8 x 50 1/8 in. (152.7 x 127.3 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Gift of Ettie Stettheimer, 1953 (53.24.3)

Tide of Commercialism

The Cathedrals of Fifth Avenue is charged with ironic humor, Stettheimer's favorite tool for exposing the foibles of New York society and its love of consumerism. Even though the wedding is the central event of the canvas, it is treated in a rather superficial way compared to the attention given to the commercialism depicted all around it. On the right edge of the painting, the artist and her two sisters, Carrie and Ettie, arrive late to the wedding (or perhaps they are crashing it?) yet no one seems to notice. On the other side, activities seem to ridicule the pairing of the newlyweds. Above the canopy, the gestures and gaze of the archbishop in full regalia and a more simply dressed religious figure suggest that they are blessing the commercialism around them rather than the couple exiting the church below. One of the young girls holding the garland distracts the photographer at a moment when he should be focusing on the bride. The bridesmaids, altar boys, and flower girls seem bored as they accompany the bride and groom down the red carpet (sporting the name of the painting) until one of them is distracted by a playful dog on the right.

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