Pirie MacDonald

• Name — Pirie MacDonald • Honorific Suffix — HonFRPS • Birth Name — Ian Pirie MacDonald • Born — 27 January 1867 • Birthplace — Chicago, Illinois, U.S. • Died — 22 April 1942 • Place of death — New York City, U.S. • Known for — Early and mid-20th century portraiture • Occupation — Photographer

Born in Chicago, MacDonald moved to Hudson, New York in 1883, where he worked as a photographer's apprentice prior to opening his own studio in Albany. Upon gaining a reputation in portraiture, MacDonald made the decision to only photograph men, a decision that even applied to family photos, and from that point on dubbed himself "Pirie MacDonald – Photographer of Men". His prolific body of work encompasses many well-known men of the early to mid-20th century including Spencer Trask, Woodrow Wilson, William Ralph Inge, Seán O'Casey and Antoine Lumiére, all of which were taken within New York City save for Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk and Christian X of Denmark. When asked about his most memorable portrait sittings, he listed Theodore Roosevelt as his most difficult subject.

MacDonald married Emilie Van Dusen in 1890. Heavily involved in the Boy Scouts of America organization, he founded the Norwalk Boy Scouts and maintained a camp for the scouts on his White Oak Shade estate in Norwalk, Connecticut. MacDonald had a cerebral hemorrhage at White Oak Shade on April 18, 1942, and died at a New York hospital four days later. In accordance with his wishes, all photographic negatives of his works were destroyed.

• Illustration — Theodore Roosevelt US President • Illustration — William Butler Yeats Poet • Illustration — Albert Payson Terhune Writer • Illustration — Bruce Bairnsfather Cartoonist • Illustration — Bliss Carman Poet • Illustration — Charles Dana Gibson Illustrator • Illustration — Elihu Root Statesman • Illustration — Jacob Riis Journalist • Illustration — Sherwood Anderson Playwright