National wears from Seklerland in drawings and watercolors of Haáz Ferenc Rezső
Ferenc Rezső Haáz was born on the 12th of August 1883 in Northern Hungary, Szepesbéla (SpisskáBelá, ZipserBela). His father was Sándor Haáz, town-clerk, his mother was Vilma Weisz. He studied at the famous high school in Késmárk, in German and Hungarian language. In 1896 his father was transferred to Igló, so he continued his studies here and he graduated from the Hungarian high school in 1901. The talented young man continued his studies in Budapest at the College of Arts in the period between 1901- 1905. He spent a year volunteering in Budapest at the artillery regiment no. 12, he was discharged in 1906 when he was employed. During his army years he applied for a vacant art teacher job in Odorheiu Secuiesc at the Reformed College where he was employed as an assistant teacher. The young teacher who came to Odorheiu Secuiesc for a school year was feeling good there and he stayed for the following years. In 1909 he settled down definitively in the town. Soon he founded a family as well. On the 12th of July 1910 he married Annuska, the daughter of dr. Ödön Mezei, the county doctor. The Haáz family had soon children too: Anna (1911), Sándor (1912), Ferenc (1913) and Jolán (1915). His pedagogical job was strongly related to the development of the ethnographical museum. As a boarding school supervisor and later as the president of the boarding school – living in the school together with his family – he had been in touch for years with the county students’ parents – county teachers, clerks and many smallholders -, so he was in touch with the Szekler material and intellectual ethnography. The students helped him collect objects and due to their local knowledge and zeal they managed to collect many items and at weekends he could travel by cart to the remote villages. Students returning to school after a holiday often brought him items from their homes.