Sir David Young (D.Y.) Cameron was one of the most celebrated artists of his time. Knighted by George V in 1924, Cameron held honorary doctorates from four universities as well as appointments to several royal societies. Print collectors and connoisseurs eagerly sought out his poetic landscapes and atmospheric church interiors. In his lifetime, Cameron’s etchings commanded higher prices than Rembrandt’s, including one that sold in 1929 for possibly the highest price ever paid at the time for a print by a living artist.

Born in 1865 in Glasgow, the son of a Congregationalist minister, Cameron studied art in Edinburgh, where he was introduced to etching during the period of the Etching Revival in Europe. With few exceptions, Cameron focused almost exclusively on architecture and landscape subjects. Whether depicting a French cathedral or a Scottish mountain, Cameron imbued each subject with a sense of profound mystery and beauty. Although Cameron’s romantic approach to traditional subject matter gradually fell out of favor, his technical mastery and lyrical style represent a high watermark of early twentieth-century etching.