Jessie Nores Haas Photograph Collection, circa 1905-1990

Overview of the Collection

Photographer
Haas, Jessie Nores 1887-1991
Title
Jessie Nores Haas Photograph Collection
Dates
circa 1905-1990 (inclusive)
Quantity
Photographs (16 boxes)
Collection Number
PH2017-021
Summary
Photographs relating to the life and career of Jessie Nores Haas, an actor, director, and author who was active in the vaudeville and theatre community in Seattle, Washington
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

No restrictions on access.

Request at UW

Languages
English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Actor, director, and author Jessie Nores Haas was born in 1887 in Missouri. Haas's theater career began in 1910 in Los Angeles, where she went to work for the Ferris Hartman Opera Company. Over the next nine years, she traveled up and down the West Coast, performing in vaudeville shows.

In 1919, she moved from Portland to Seattle with her husband, Saul Haas, whom she had married earlier that year. He worked as a reporter for The Union Record Chronicle. Later, he was director of customs for two terms under President Franklin Roosevelt. He started KIRO radio and KIRO television. The couple were divorced during World War II.

After marriage and moving to Seattle, Jessie Haas became active in Seattle's theater community. Over the next half-century, she acted with many of the city's theater companies, including A Contemporary Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, and the Cirque Dinner Theatre, where she played for 26 years in 36 productions. She performed on stage until she was 89, and continued to attend performances and support theaters well after her 100th birthday. For a time in the 1940s, she was also a columnist for The Capitol Hill Times.

Haas was known for her idealism, energy, and zest for life. Her last project was regularly writing world leaders, encouraging them to declare one hour of peace worldwide and dedicate it to all the planet's 10-year-old children. She said: "Poor little Earth planet. I've just got to fix it so that we have peace on Earth."

Jessie Nore Haas lived alone in her Capitol Hill home for decades. She died in 1991 at the age of 103.

Source: http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19911204&slug=1321029.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Photographs relating to the life and career of Jessie Nores Haas. Contains photographs of Haas's early vaudeville and theatre performances (including theatrical portraits and production stills); photographs of Seattle landmarks and Haas's home, vacations, friends and family, and celebrations; and three scrapbooks.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Restrictions may exist on copying, quotation, or publication. Contact University of Washington Libraries Special Collections for details.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Separated Materials

Material Described Separately:

Jessie Nores Haas Papers (Manuscript Collection No. 4990)

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

 

Container(s) Description Dates
Box
1-3 Jessie Haas's home, friends and family, and vacations circa 1970s-1980s
4 Negatives and black and white portraits of Haas's family and friends circa 1950s-1970s
5 Portraits of family and friends 1920s
5 Jessie Nores Haas, her Seattle neighborhood, and celebrations 1920s
6 Celebrations and vacations 1970s-1980s
6 Seattle Repertory Theater 1986-1987
7 Unidentified portraits circa 1970s
8 Family photographs and portraits circa 1900s
8 Vaudeville shows circa 1905-1914
9 Tintypes, cyanotypes, and photographs of family undated
9 Hawaii album undated
9 Postcard collection undated
10 Production stills and theatrical portraits circa 1950s-1960s
11 Production stills, theatrical portraits, and production booklets circa 1950s
12 Portraits of Jessie Nores Haas 1920s
12 Theatrical portraits and production stills 1950s-1960s
13 Portraits and production stills undated
14 Small photo booklets 1960s
15-16 Scrapbooks undated

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Actresses--Washington (State)--Seattle--Photographs
  • Vaudeville--United States--Photographs

Personal Names

  • Haas, Jessie Nores, 1887-1991--Archives
  • Haas, Jessie Nores, 1887-1991--Family--Photographs
  • Haas, Jessie Nores, 1887-1991--Friends and associates--Photographs
  • Haas, Jessie Nores, 1887-1991--Photographs

Corporate Names

  • Seattle Repertory Theatre--Photographs

Geographical Names

  • Seattle (Wash.)--Photographs

Form or Genre Terms

  • Cyanotypes (photographic prints)
  • Photographs
  • Postcards
  • Scrapbooks
  • Tintypes (prints)

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)