Chicago, the Cathedral

Art Historical Context

Donald Shaw MacLaughlan's *Chicago, the Cathedral* is a captivating graphic arts print that juxtaposes the soaring Holy Name Cathedral with the emerging skyscrapers of early 20th-century Chicago. As a master etcher known for his intricate urban scenes, MacLaughlan captures the city's dynamic transformation from a bustling frontier town into a vertical metropolis. The inclusion of figure groups adds a human scale, grounding the monumental architecture in everyday life and evoking the energy of Chicago's streets. This artwork reflects a pivotal era in American urban history, when skyscrapers like those surrounding Holy Name Cathedral—completed in 1875—symbolized industrial ambition and technological innovation. MacLaughlan's print, part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection (gift of Moune G.H. Webster), highlights the tension between sacred Gothic Revival architecture and modernist steel-framed towers, a visual dialogue on progress and tradition. Etching as a medium allowed MacLaughlan to achieve fine lines and rich tonal contrasts, emphasizing light and shadow on towering facades. For visitors, this piece offers a window into Chicago's architectural legacy, blending reverence for history with awe at modernity.

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...