The Story of the Murals

The Historic Colonial Hotel’s stunning dining room murals are the work of renowned mural artists Herman DuBrau and Gertrude DuBrau Kogler. Herman DuBrau was born in Peltz, Prussia, in 1865. He graduated from the Royal Arts Academy, in Berlin, with the title “Master of Arts.” In 1892, Herman arrived in Baltimore with his wife, Anna, and daughters Gertrude and Charlotte. He embarked upon a successful career as a mural artist and decorator, shaping many public interiors in the city. Meanwhile, Gertrude followed in her father’s footsteps, attending the Maryland Institute of Art and Design in Baltimore. She received further training at the Royal Academy in Leipzig and the Dusseldorf Academy.

Keystone Viaduct
by Herman DuBrau

The family moved to Allegany County, Maryland, in 1913, and the father-daughter team continued to paint murals in many cities and towns across the Unites States. Among their largest and most revered paintings was the mural in the rotunda of the Cumberland, Maryland, City Hall. Completed in 1920, the mural is believed to be the only depiction of both the first and last times George Washington commanded troops in the field. (Both incidents occurred at Cumberland.)

Unknown Location,
by Hermann DuBrau

Herman DuBrau died in November 1922. Gertrude DuBrau Kogler continued to paint, receiving accolades throughout the art world. But misfortune beset her. Cumberland’s 1936 flood destroyed her gift shop and studio. Following this disaster, Gertrude and her husband returned to Germany, at the height of the rise of fascism and the onset of World War II. During the war, her husband died, and she lost most of her possessions, including her paintings. She returned to America in 1955 and resided in Tacoma, Washington, until her death at age 76. Today, her remaining works are exceedingly rare. The Historic Colonial Hotel and the entire Meyersdale community are indeed fortunate to have intact paintings from this unique family of mural painters.

Maple Sugar Camp,
by Gertrudge DuBrau Kogler