The Three Sisters

Louis Bouché’s portrait of the three Stettheimer sisters—from left to right, Florine, Carrie, and Ettie—evokes the whimsical decorative style and material opulence of their New York apartment, the site of a salon frequented by Bouché, Marcel Duchamp, and other figures of the artistic vanguard. Although he treated forms in a simplified and Cubist manner, Bouché imbued each of his sitters with a unique personality, conveying their eccentricity and independence. Florine was herself a successful artist, Ettie was a writer, and Carrie was a hostess and creator of a dollhouse replica of the Stettheimer home (Museum of the City of New York).