Figure 5. Winslow Homer( American, 1836 – 1910), Shepherd and Shepherdess, 1878, glazed earthenware, overglaze enamel decoration, 36 x 49 1/4 in., The Metropolitan Museum of Art, bequest of Arthur G. Altschul, 2002, 2003.140
to have been done for his brother, Charles Savage Homer, Jr., or at least destined for his home, it is inscribed“ Copyright, 1878, by Winslow Homer,” suggesting the artist might have considered pursuing some sort of commercial venture along this line; however, no such endeavor has since been documented. 32
Apparently Homer was pleased with his tile making, exhibiting his wares at the Century Club and at a private viewing for friends and patrons in his studio. His studio also served as the setting for the club’ s first“ annual” dinner, held in the spring of 1878, at which time the idea of a summer sketching trip,“ a journey in search of the picturesque,” was suggested by F. Hopkinson Smith. 33 The idea was enthusiastically received. Abbey proposed a trip to the Catskills, while Gifford suggested the Adirondacks, and Quartley favored the Isles of Shoals. Reinhart offered for consideration the coast of Maine, and Laffan, passenger agent for the Long Island Railroad( and responsible for promoting tourism) quite naturally proposed Long Island.“ That sandy place?” questioned Paris.“ There’ s nothing there,” added Shinn. 34 Furthermore,“ Nobody was ever known to go there!” Wimbridge complained. 35 This last comment spurred the curiosity of Smith, who exclaimed,“ Nobody ever went there! Then that’ s the place of all others to go to!” 36 This repartee demonstrates how much of the Tile Club’ s stories must have been improvised for the sake of entertainment. Clearly Homer had visited eastern Long Island as early as 1874, when he painted on the beach in East Hampton, yet this was completely ignored. 37 In any event, Reinhart suggested that they might sell the account of their excursion to some“ grasping publisher.” 38 While both newspapermen in the group were reported to have some doubts about that possibility, the trip took place the summer of 1878 and a chronicle of the journey would appear in Scribner’ s Monthly the following winter( February 1879) as“ The Tile Club at Play.” 39
On June 10, 1878, eleven members of the Tile Club,“ animated by a spirit of decoration,” met at the western terminus of the Long Island Railroad, Hunter’ s Point to begin their venture. Attending were: O’ Donovan, Laffan, Gifford, Paris, Abbey, Reinhart, Smith, Quartley, Wimbridge, Shinn, and William Baird, a well known baritone singer who had been newly elected honorary musician member. 40 As this was the club’ s first trip, the members dressed“ incongruously,” and were very conspicuous with their cumbersome painting gear. Amused by the sight, O’ Donovan described the group as having“ a very tiley appearance.” 41 Laffan, as a railroad employee( and conduit for free passage), was quite naturally their guide as they boarded the train en route to Babylon, where they would catch a boat to Captree Island, off Long Island’ s south shore. Braced
Decorative Age or Decorative Craze? 13