original hard to find and highly desirable late 19th century american fireplace portrait tiles featuring shakespearean characters, hamlet and ophelia. the c. 1880's victorian era portait tiles were fabricated by the united states encaustic tile co., indianapolis, in., manufacturers of plain, encaustic, majolica, enameled & glazed tiles. the design is attributed to modeler ruth m. winterbotham. the name of each costumed shakespearean character appears vertically, directly in front of their faces. each tile measures 6 x 6 inches. mottled blue majolica glazed finish intact with crazing evident. the two tiles were salvaged from a chicago graystone residence undergoing demolition. priced for the pair. measure 6 x 6 inches