Haas, Kitty, 1923-

Kitty Haas was born in Europe on July 27, 1923. In 1940, Haas emigrated with her parents to the United States from Vienna, Austria, where they had lived for two years after the Nazi occupation. Following her move, Haas became interested in art and studied painting with Hans Hoffman and Hyram Gross in New York. She also developed an interest in American history, specifically the Shaker community. Haas worked with the Sabbathday Shakers to replicate the old tins they used for herbs and received her first order from Bloomingdale’s in New York. She developed a similar passion for the Roycroft movement soon after. Later in life, Haas merged her interests in history and art to open boutique and antique stores in Greenwich Village, New York; Newport, Rhode Island; Nantucket, Massachusetts; and Cambridge, Massachusetts.