The artist exhibited his (1893 RA exhibited) A Hamadryad at the 5th Newlyn Art Gallery exhibition in 1896; the work was however alternatively titled as Faun and Hamadryad. A review was published in the 1896 Studio magazine [Studio 8 - 'Studio Talk', p244] that commented: 'Mr Waterhouse's Faun and Hamadryad is the most interesting picture in more ways than one, but markedly so as being exotic to the atmosphere of Newlyn, as exquisite work of a different inspiration should always strike those who labour in another field - unless they have closed their eyes to all other influences but that of their own clique, a danger signal of old age in Art.'

Waterhouse visited St Ives (Hobson Catalogue) and produced a 'St Ives Sketchbook'. There is stronger evidence for Waterhouse visiting nearby Devon from as early as 1890. He is known to have produced an oil work entitled The Devonshire Coast, 1890 (Hobson Cat no 87). He and his wife Esther made family visits to Croyde in North Devon on a regular basis between 1893 and 1909. Esther's sister, Emily, married a close friend of Waterhouse, the Newlyn artist Peregrine Mulvogue FEENEY (1838-1913) in 1891, and in either 1892 or 1893 the Feeneys moved to Croyde in North Devon. It is not unreasonable to assume that the Waterhouse visits to Devon included further travels into Cornwall from time to time.