John McGrath print collection

The artist John McGrath was born in Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland, on November 4th, 1884. In 1896, when McGrath was 12 years old, his family moved to Baltimore. In the 1920s, McGrath was enrolled in Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, where he first discovered his interest in art while producing a mechanical drawing. McGrath was unable to graduate from the Polytechnic Institute, however, and was forced to drop out and begin working to support his family.

This did not deter McGrath from studying art, as he enrolled in night classes at the Maryland Institute of Art while continuing to work full time. McGrath honed his skills part time while supporting himself in the business world, eventually becoming the vice-president of an insecticide company. However, McGrath left behind his business career for good in 1928 and travelled to Paris to study art. The following year he spent time traveling to Brittany, a region in northwest France. He was captivated with the landscape and simplicity of peasant life there, and produced a number of etchings during his travels. When he returned to Baltimore in 1930 he joined the Charcoal Club, Baltimore’s famed arts club established in 1883. The following year he was elected and was elected president, a position he held for for over ten years until his death in 1942.