Saint Sulpice, Paris: La Petite Tour 1901

Donald Shaw MacLaughlan made this etching, Saint Sulpice, Paris: La Petite Tour, using black ink on paper. The print is mostly sepia-toned, except for a few spots where the ink seems thicker and darker. I can just imagine MacLaughlan hunched over a metal plate, carefully etching lines with a needle, building up this bustling Parisian scene. There’s a tower that dominates the skyline, looming over the city, and then all these tiny figures milling around at the bottom. I wonder what they are doing? It feels like MacLaughlan wanted to capture a fleeting moment, a snapshot of Parisian life. He wasn't interested in a perfect rendering; instead, he embraced the imperfections and the textures that come with etching. You can almost feel the energy of the city. It reminds me of other printmakers like Whistler or Muirhead Bone, who were also drawn to urban landscapes and the beauty of everyday life. This image is an exchange of ideas across time, inspiring creativity, and an expression that embraces ambiguity, allowing for multiple interpretations.