A figure-piece he sent to the 1882 Salon attracted attention, a boy daydreaming on the beach, which he called "Châteaux en Espagne" ("Castles in Spain") (1882, Metropolitan Museum of Art). In the 1885 Salon, he had a large canvas of several nude women called "En Arcadie" (1885, Musée d'Orsay), a remarkable study of flesh tones in light and shade which had a strong influence on the younger men of the day. This received an honourable mention, the first of many awards conferred upon him. "Les Amateurs" (1882–83, Brauer Museum of Art), was awarded a first medal at the 1889 Paris Exhibition. Other honors included the 1887 Temple Gold Medal of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and medals in Munich, Brussels, Ghent, Vienna and elsewhere.