The Old Print Shop

Donald Shaw MacLaughlan

1876 -1938

Born in Charlottetown, Canada in 1876, Donald Shaw MacLaughlan first studied in Boston where he received his training in etching. In 1898 he went to Paris where he continued his studies at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. 

MacLaughlan became well known for his etchings of landscapes and townscapes of France, Italy, and England. He taught the finer points of his technique to younger artists, mostly Canadians. In France, his work was favorably compared to Whistler’s and Corot’s. MacLaughlan was an extensive traveler. He died in Marrakesh, in French Morocco where he was buried in the British cemetery.  - IFPDA

“Every process of etching technique, every stage in the production of the finished work, is treated by him almost as part of a religious rite. ... Most modern etchers know how to print, very many of them do their own printing, but few perhaps bestow upon the process the care and labor expended by MacLaughlan. Not content with the mere printing, he always grinds and prepares his ink himself, rightly claiming that some plates need a stiffer ink than others, that sometimes the appropriate tint is warmer, sometimes colder, and that it is only the etcher himself who can properly decide.” - James Laver

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