A Castle in Thun, Switzerland 1908

Editor: Here we have Donald Shaw MacLaughlan's "A Castle in Thun, Switzerland," made in 1908 using etching. It feels delicate, almost dreamlike. I'm curious, what can you tell me about it? Curator: Let's consider the etching process itself. The act of repeatedly and precisely manipulating the plate – coating, scratching, bathing in acid – speaks volumes. It mirrors the slow, deliberate building of the castle. Doesn’t this repetitive labor reflect the lives of the people connected to the castle – the builders, the servants, those who toiled on the land that supported it? Editor: So, you’re thinking about the labor behind both the castle and the artwork? Curator: Exactly. Think about the materials themselves. Why etching? It’s not painting, with its immediate gesture. Etching requires planning, precision, industrial materials. Could this be a commentary on the changing landscape of art production? The paper too – the very substrate of the image – becomes a stage for this quiet drama between handcraft and industrial process. What do you think the social status was, of those that made their living through such artistic endeavors in comparison to the other trades of the area? Editor: That makes me look at the line work differently. Each tiny line involved human action, human labor in a way a photograph wouldn't. Curator: And that deliberate mark-making translates into value. Each impression pulled from the plate becomes a commodity, bought and sold. It makes us consider not only how the image was made, but who had access to owning it. Perhaps these etchings democratized the image of grand architecture, making it available to a wider audience? Editor: I hadn't thought about the consumption aspect, making it accessible beyond just the elite who could visit it. I see this print with fresh eyes! Curator: Precisely. It's the dance between materials, labor, and consumption that brings it to life.