Staff photo by Fritz Busch Brown County Historical Society Executive Director Kathleen Backer, left, receives an Adolph Seiter portrait painting from Tim Finnell and a sketch of Myra Amy Alwin from Deborah Finnell, both of Buffalo, New York Thursday.

NEW ULM — A Buffalo, New York couple with New Ulm roots donated two works of art created by Anton Gag and his daughter Thusnelda Thursday.

Deborah and Tim Finnell donated a portrait of Dakota Hotel builder Adolph Seiter painted by Anton Gag and Thusnelda Gag’s sketch of Myra Amy Alwin, Tim Finnell’s mother.

In an interview of Myra Alwin Finnell by Kathleen Huelster in September 1990, Myra described the life of the portrait.

“After Anton Gag died, Mrs. Gag (Elisabeth Biebl Gag) came down to the drugstore and asked my dad if he would be interested in buying an oil painting Anton painted of mother’s father,” she said. “She needed money because she wanted to get some Christmas gifts for the children. Dad bought the painting, had it framed, and gave it to mother for Christmas. When I was married, I asked if I could have it. It hung over our piano ever since.”

Thusnelda Gag drew the image of Myra Amy Alwin while they attended Sunday School. Thusnelda was one of six children of Anton Gag and his second wife, Lissi (Elisabeth) Biebl. The children were raised in a world of art and inherited their parent’s artistic talents.

The Brown County Historical Society opens a Gag exhibit Saturday, July 20 at the museum.

Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com.