Eugene L. Armbruster

Who was Eugene L. Armbruster?

Eugene L. Armbruster was a New York City illustrator and photographer born in Baden-Baden, Germany and based in Bushwick, Brooklyn, where he died. His work includes many buildings, roads, and neighborhoods in area towns such as Amagansett, Astoria, Bridgehampton, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, Bushwick, Coney Island, Corona, East New York, Easthampton, Elmhurst, Flatbush, Flatlands, Flushing, Forest Hills, Gravesend, Hempstead, Jackson Heights, Jamaica, Jericho, Long Island City, Manhattan, Maspeth, Middle Village, Montauk, Oyster Bay, Queens Village, Rego Park, Ridgewood, Rikers Island, South Ozone Park, Southampton, Williamsburg, and Sullivan County.

Armbruster made photographs for documentary over aesthetic purposes. He usually chose to photograph in late fall, winter, and early spring. His photographs were identified and described by Vincent Seyfried for Queens Library.

Armbruster photographed areas in Kings County, New York from approximately 1895-1936, Manhattan from 1920-1925, Nassau County, New York from 1917-1925, Queens County, New York from 1910-1931, Rikers Island in 1931, and Suffolk County, New York from 1910-1934. The Queens Library collection divides their 6.950 photographs into eight series by county, plus Miscellaneous 1920-1925 and Unknown 1910-1925.