Florine Stettheimer, Soiree, 1917 |
Carrie Stettheimer, Dollhouse Foyer, 1916 |
While Florine is known as the “artist” of the family, Carrie spent nearly two decades creating a dollhouse which is a piece of art in its own right. Began in 1916, the dollhouse is intended to be a near replica of the sisters’ home, even down to the decorations and furnishings that were in the Stettheimer mansion at the time of creation. Carrie painstakingly recreated every detail of the mansion’s interior design. Each room is lush in detail and color, though the room that may hold the most charm for me is the tiny art gallery, situated along the back of the house. Artist friends of the Stettheimer’s, knowing of Carrie’s project, contributed pieces of art to the small house. Works in miniature included Duchamp’s Nude Descending a Staircase, and Gaston Lachaise’s Nude Woman.
The Stettheimer’s were a fascinating family. Talented and charismatic, they easily gained the respect of their peers and the artists and writers within their social circle. While I have not had the chance to see Carrie’s dollhouse in person, it is on view at the Museum of the City of New York.
Other images of the dollhouse as well as Florine’s many paintings are part of the Research and Scholars Center’s Peter A. Juley & Son Collection and can be viewed here.
Rachel Brooks
American Art Museum, Research and Scholars Center
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