wares. In fact, the tiles they did produce were few, and remained outside the mainstream of development in this field. And, unlike their prototypes, the English craftsmen and women, members of the Tile Club never truly addressed the very special nature of tile design. Rather than treating their works in a decorative manner fully conceived in a patternlike way, they merely used the tile as another surface on which to paint. They continued to employ the usual devices of perspective and modulation of form to depict their subjects, whether landscape, portrait, or otherwise. In spite of their lack of adherence to the standard methods of this decorative form, they realized the special effects they could achieve in this medium; and those members who were most receptive and sophisticated used this knowledge to improve their own work as fine artists. The square format alone challenged new thought among future American Impressionist painters. 144
Within a couple of years, however, the major proponents of tile painting left the group and the contingent of illustrators became stronger; the emphasis shifted to illustration, a focus that was sharpened by the success the group had with articles it produced for Scribner’ s Monthly and The Century Magazine. These popular periodicals provided a vehicle by which the artists could gain greater renown for themselves and for American artists in general. By maintaining, and even emphasizing, the exclusivity of the group— through limited membership, code names, and an elusive format— and continuing to produce entertaining stories accompanied by cleverly conceived and expertly executed illustrations, they generated invaluable publicity.
An unpremeditated benefit of the Tilers’ summer sketching trips was their experience in plein-air painting, which proved to be invaluable to artists such as Chase, Weir, and Twachtman, who would ultimately
Figure 28. George Willoughby Maynard( American, 1843 – 1923), Francis Davis Millet, 1878, oil on canvas, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, bequest of Dr. John A. P. Millet, NPG. 78.205
Figure 29. William Merritt Chase( American, 1849 – 1916), A Summer Afternoon in Holland( Sunlight and Shadow), 1884, oil on canvas, 65 1 / 5 x 77 3/4 in., Joslyn Art Museum, gift of the Friends of Art, 1932.4
Decorative Age or Decorative Craze? 35