Robert Haas

Robert Samuel Haas (April 16, 1898–December 5, 1997) was a Viennese-born calligrapher, typographer, photographer, art collector and book designer. He immigrated to the United States in 1939.

Biography and career Robert Samuel Haas was born on April 16, 1898, in Vienna, Austria-Hungary, to Daniel and Ernestine Haas (née Pick). He was raised in Vienna, and received a degree in engineering from Höhere Technische Lehranstalt. He studied calligraphy under Rudolf von Larisch and photography from Trude Fleischmann. In 1925, he opened his own hand press printing shop, Officina Vindobonesis, in Vienna with Carry Hauser and Fritz Siegel, that mainly catered to the arts community. In addition to publishing his own works, they also published material for Austrian novelist Hugo von Hofmannsthal, writer Otto Stoessl and artist Alfred Kubin. He designed the monogram for the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, which is still being used. His photo mural design for the Austrian Pavilion at the 1937 Paris World Fair, won the Grand Prix and the Gold Medal.