Iris Apfel

photo by prphotos.com

Birth Name: Iris Barrel

Date of Birth: August 29, 1921

Place of Birth: Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, U.S.

Date of Death: March 1, 2024

Place of Death: Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.

Ethnicity: Ashkenazi Jewish

Iris Apfel was an American businessperson, interior designer, fashion icon and designer, and actress. She had a career in textiles with her husband Carl Apfel, including a White House contract that spanned decades. She became a key figure in fashion after her collection of costume jewelry, styled with clothed mannequins, was displayed at a show of the Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, in 2005. She was signed as an IMG model, at 97. The documentary Iris (2014) depicted her life and work.

She was the daughter of Sadye, who owned a fasion boutique, and Samuel Barrel, whose family owned a glass and mirror business. Her father was born in Brooklyn, to Russian Jewish parents. Her mother was a Russian Jewish immigrant. Iris was married to Carl Apfel until his death.

Iris’ paternal grandfather was Morris Barrel (the son of Moser J. Barrel and Reitha Jacobs).

Iris’ paternal grandmother was named Fannie Maltzman.

Iris’ maternal grandfather was Abraham Jakov Asofsky (the son of Hirsch Ickov Osowski and Ginda Shlemovna Demikhovsky). Abraham was born in Slutsk, Belarus. Hirsch was the son of Icka Osovski.

Iris’ maternal grandmother was named Syd Jennie Richman.

Sources: http://forward.com

Genealogy of Iris Apfel – https://www.geni.com

Birth record of Iris’ paternal uncle – https://familysearch.org