The Tile Club: Camaraderie and American Plein-Air Painting The Tile Club | Page 15

“
decorative mania...had fallen like
a destructive angel upon the most
flourishing cities in America, turning
orderly homes into bristling and
impenetrable curiosity-shops.

reflect the prevailing mode of taste in America, which artists to set an example in the decorative arts to
Centennial Exposition.
It was a time, one of them later recalled, when how much of this repartee is genuine and how much is
tongue-in-cheek. In any event, one enthusiastic artist
was for decorative objects and paintings, preferably
based on European standards, as prompted by the
“decorative mania...had fallen like a destructive angel
upon the most flourishing cities in America, turning
orderly homes into bristling and impenetrable curiosity-
shops.” 6 The overwhelming popularity of decorative
objects actually had an adverse affect on the sale of
paintings (or at least those that did not conform to the
aesthetics of this movement). Responding to this
situation one of the artists suggested their new club be
based on some sort of decorative notion so that they
would not be “behind the times.” 7 Another scoffed at
the idea, declaring that he would not lower his stan-
dards; he then assured the others, “It is only a tempo-
rary craze, a phase of popular insanity that will wear
itself out as soon as a new hobby is presented to take
its place.” 8 Someone else countered that the current
interest in decorative pursuits was “encouraging
evidence of the growing influence of our methods of
art education.” 9 And yet another maintained it was
indeed an obligation on their part as professional
prevent the “uncultivated” from proceeding “blindly to
ridiculous extremes.” 10 It is difficult to ascertain just
proclaimed, “Let us be decorative!” 11 And, evidently,
there was no further opposition.
Just what form of decorative art should they pursue?
Suggestions included fresco, wallpaper, and fabric
design, most certainly options inspired by the popularity
of the English designers William Morris and Charles
Locke Eastlake, or even the painter Lawrence
Alma-Tadema. Their celebrity was underscored by
Great Britain’s strong presence at the Centennial
Exposition, described by Abbey to be “by far the most
interesting” in the show. 12 London-born Walter Paris
agreed, as did the English architect Edward Wimbridge,
who finally came up with the “winning” idea: tiles.
“Tiles are what we need,” Wimbridge declared. “The
element of color and variety is lost in the decorative
details of our structures.” 13 A skeptic in the ranks
queried, “…and when you’ve done them, what’ll you do
with them?” 14 “Why, just what you do with the pictures
you paint,” answered another, “[you] keep them”—no
Decorative Age or Decorative Craze? 9