Sunday Afternoon in the Country

1917

Florine Stettheimer

(American, 1871–1944)

America, 20th century

oil on canvas

Framed: 139 x 103.5 x 8.3 cm (54 3/4 x 40 3/4 x 3 1/4 in.); Unframed: 128 x 92.5 cm (50 3/8 x 36 7/16 in.)

Gift of Ettie Stettheimer 1948.28

Location: 226A American Modern

This artwork is known to be under copyright.

Did You Know?

Although on her deathbed Florine Stettheimer instructed that all her paintings be destroyed, her family did not grant the wish.

Description

Born into a cosmopolitan German-Jewish family, Florine Stettheimer hosted numerous gatherings for cutting-edge New York cultural figures. These events often provided subject matter for her paintings, as in this rendering of a weekend picnic held at her family’s summer home on the banks of the Hudson River. In the background at the upper right, Stettheimer portrays herself working at her easel, recording the varied activities taking place. Dismissed as not being serious art in their day, almost all her paintings remained unsold when she died. Afterward, her sister Ettie—seen here standing at lower left in a red coat—donated many of them to selected museums, including this work.