Lisel Haas (1898–1989) was a German female photographer. She worked as a photographer at the

Birmingham Repertory Theatre Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. Founded by Barry Jackson, it is the longest-established of Britain's building-based theatre c ...

where she photographed many plays. She obtained work with the theatre in 1940, photographing almost every production until she left Birmingham in 1962. During this time many promising actors appeared including Paul Schofield,

Albert Finney Albert Finney (9 May 1936 – 7 February 2019) was an English actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked in the theatre before attaining prominence on screen in the early 1960s, debuting with '' The Entertainer'' (1960) ...

Ian Richardson Ian William Richardson (7 April 19349 February 2007) was a Scottish actor. He portrayed the Machiavellian Tory politician Francis Urquhart in the BBC's '' House of Cards'' (1990–1995) television trilogy. Richardson was also a leading S ...

and

Derek Jacobi Sir Derek George Jacobi (; born 22 October 1938) is an English actor. He has appeared in various stage productions of William Shakespeare such as ''Hamlet'', ''Much Ado About Nothing'', ''Macbeth'', ''Twelfth Night'', ''The Tempest'', ''King ...

. She also covered productions at the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham, the

Belgrade Theatre The Belgrade Theatre is a live performance venue in Coventry, England. It was the first civic theatre to be built in Britain after the Second World War and is now a Grade II listed building. Background Coventry was the fastest growing city in ...

in Coventry and the Kidderminster Playhouse. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

she was able to set up her own photographic studio at her home in Moseley. She worked from here until she left Birmingham.

Early life

Lisel Haas was born in

Mönchengladbach Mönchengladbach (, li, Jlabbach ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located west of the Rhine, halfway between Düsseldorf and the Dutch border. Geography Municipal subdivisions Since 2009, the territory of Mönchengladbac ...

, Germany in 1898 to Jewish parents. She worked as a portrait photographer and photojournalist. Her special interests were urban childhood, travelling communities and religious practice. On 18 October 1938 she was issued with a decree from the Gladbach Police Authority stipulating that she must display a notice in the window of her photographic studio stating that it was a 'Jewish business' with threat of punishment. Following

Kristallnacht () or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (german: Novemberpogrome, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) paramilitary and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from ...

in November 1938 she abandoned her studio and left Germany with her father. Their application for asylum in the United States was turned down so they turned to Britain and arrived in Birmingham in December 1938.

Using photographs as a 'universal language'

Through the medium of photography Haas attempted to create a 'universal language' through which we are able to remember events and personal memories. She believed that 'life' provided the link between her and her sitters and gave their force and effect. Photography, she felt, was charged by life and by living. Amy Shulman argued that through the medium of photography Haas attempted to create a 'universal language' for both personal and collective memories.

Legacy

The Birmingham City Archives held in the

Library of Birmingham A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

include original photographs and Lisel Haas' papers.

References

External links

Haas' pictures in the Birmingham Rep Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haas, Lisel People from Mönchengladbach People from Moseley Photographers from North Rhine-Westphalia German women photographers 1898 births Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United Kingdom German photojournalists 1989 deaths 20th-century German photographers 20th-century women photographers 20th-century German women Women photojournalists