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The Cathedrals of Broadway

1929
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 910
The Cathedrals of Broadway captures the magical atmosphere of neon-lit theaters, which offered films as well as live performances. As the United States entered the Great Depression, many Americans turned to the world of entertainment to escape reality. Here, New York’s mayor Jimmy Walker throws out the first pitch of the baseball season in a cinema newsreel. An elaborate stage show takes place below the screen, while the names of famous theaters glow around the central proscenium arch. Stettheimer gives little hint of the harsh conditions that confronted many New Yorkers in the 1930s.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Cathedrals of Broadway
  • Artist: Florine Stettheimer (American, Rochester, New York 1871–1944 New York, New York)
  • Date: 1929
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 60 1/8 × 50 1/8 in. (152.7 × 127.3 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Gift of Ettie Stettheimer, 1953
  • Object Number: 53.24.3
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

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The Cathedrals of Art, Florine Stettheimer American, Oil on canvas
The Cathedrals of Art
Florine Stettheimer
1942
The Cathedrals of Wall Street, Florine Stettheimer American, Oil on canvas
The Cathedrals of Wall Street
Florine Stettheimer
1939
The Cathedrals of Fifth Avenue, Florine Stettheimer American, Oil on canvas
The Cathedrals of Fifth Avenue
Florine Stettheimer
1931
Henry McBride on Winslow Homer
Florine Stettheimer
ca. 1924
Black Abstraction, Georgia O'Keeffe American, Oil on canvas
Black Abstraction
Georgia O'Keeffe
1927

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