The Windmill
Medium
Etching in black on cream laid paper
Dimensions
Image/plate: 9 × 10 cm (3 9/16 × 3 15/16 in.); Sheet: 9.4 × 10.3 cm (3 3/4 × 4 1/16 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
46521
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
**The Windmill** (1902) by Donald MacLaughlan captures the timeless charm of a rural landmark through the delicate art of etching. This intimate print, measuring just 9 × 10 cm, depicts a windmill rendered in black ink on cream laid paper, showcasing MacLaughlan's mastery of and tone. A Canadian-American artist active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, he renowned for his precise etchings inspired by European landscapes, blending realism with subtle atmospheric effects. Etching, the medium here (often akin to engraving in classification), involves incising lines into a metal plate with acid, allowing for intricate details like the windmill's turning blades and textured surroundings. Produced during the etching revival—a period when artists revived this Renaissance technique for its expressive potential—MacLaughlan's work reflects the era's appreciation for fine prints as affordable yet sophisticated art. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings Department, it exemplifies how small-scale works could evoke vast skies and rustic serenity. Visitors will appreciate this piece's quiet poetry: a snapshot of industrial heritage meeting natural beauty, inviting closer inspection of its masterful craftsmanship. Perfect for print enthusiasts, it highlights why etchings remain cherished for their tactile intimacy.
About the Artist
Donald Shaw MacLaughlan · 1876–1938
Donald Shaw MacLaughlan (1876–1938) was born on November 9 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, though he is recognized as an American artist after his family relocated to Boston, Massachusetts, in 1890. There, as a teenager, he immersed himself in the Boston Public Library's collections of old master prints, studying works by Albrecht Dürer, Rembrandt van Rijn, and eighteenth-century E...