Introduction
Introduction
“‘ Order!’ yells the Catgut.‘ Stop that infernal din in the corner, and you fellows drop that art stuff and listen to a sonata that will melt your soul into honey.’” 1
In Francis Hopkinson Smith’ s account of a weekly Tile Club meeting, we quickly learn a few details about the group: humor was essential, as was the desire to create works of art; live musical performances were eagerly welcomed; and lastly, camaraderie amongst members was fundamental. Founded in 1877 on the heels of the Philadelphia Centennial, the Tile Club was one of many societies that formed in the United States during the late nineteenth century. Based in New York City, Tilers comprised such well-known artists as Winslow Homer, William Merritt Chase, Augustus Saint- Gaudens, John H. Twachtman, and J. Alden Weir.
This group of young artists, inspired by the wave of interest in the decorative arts that flooded the 1876 Exposition, decided to meet once a week and contribute to the“ decorative age.” At this time, the Industrial Revolution had led to the manufacture of many inferior, mass-produced goods. Figures such as William Morris, John Ruskin, and other leaders of the Arts and Crafts and the Aesthetic movements were appalled. As a result, there was a push for the return to handcrafted-quality objects. With a desire to support the creation of honestly made products, and to keep up with the times, the Tile Club was established, and every Wednesday evening they would gather and paint an eight-by-eight-inch ceramic tile.
The Club’ s earliest meetings were attended by two Englishmen, Edward Wimbridge and Walter Paris, and by Americans Edwin Austin Abbey and Charles S. Reinhart. Other members soon included Winslow Homer, William R. O’ Donovan, Earl Shinn, F. Hopkinson Smith, William Mackay Laffan, J. Alden Weir, Arthur Quartley, and R. Swain Gifford, rounding the number out to twelve. Over time, as Tilers left New York and traveled, married, and excelled in their careers, a new Tiler would come aboard. By the time the group disbanded in 1887, the Club’ s“ roster” included over thirty members.
These meetings became a time to not only create art but also to socialize, dine, and take pleasure in the music performed by the group’ s honorary members, such as the violinist Dr. Joseph Lewenberg— whose Club sobriquet was Catgut. Indeed, every member of the group received a nickname, several of which were a play off the artist’ s surname; Arthur Burdett Frost, for example, was known as Icicle. Other names drew on the member’ s physiognomy or personality: William Mackay Laffan was designated Polyphemus, as he had a glass eye, and Winslow Homer was dubbed the Obtuse Bard. The Club’ s light-heartedness concerning their monikers was matched by the group’ s organization— there were to be no rules, no minutes were kept, and no amount of disorderliness would ever be frowned upon. Fellowship, wit, and a pursuit of pleasure in the arts were of the highest priority.
Decorative Age or Decorative Craze? 3