The Cathedrals of Broadway

A theater entrance glows with marquee lights and ornate decoration, drawing the eye toward a box office and a lobby filled with figures dressed in formal attire. A man stands among the architectural details, and a portrait presides over the scene, all rendered in warm, vivid tones that capture the energy of a Broadway night. The painting was made in 1929 using oil on canvas, and it is held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, having come to the museum as a gift from Ettie Stettheimer. The artist, Florine Stettheimer (1871–1944), was an American painter who also worked as a costume designer. One detail worth noticing is how the glowing marquee and gilded ornament frame the crowd below, giving the entrance an almost theatrical, stage-like presence of its own, as if the building itself were performing.