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Eugene L. Armbruster photograph collection

Call Number

PR 81

Date

1894-1939, inclusive

Creator

Armbruster, Eugene L., 1865-1943

Extent

36.5 Linear feet (Ca. 5,000 black and white gelatin silver prints, 5 x 7 in. or smaller. Ca 3,500 acetate negatives, 3.5 x 4.5 in. 1,400 nitrate negatives, 5 x 7 in. 517 glass negatives, 8 x 10 in. or smaller.)

Language of Materials

This collection is primarily visual. Any text is likely to be in English.

Abstract

New York photographer and local historian born in Baden-Baden, Germany; emigrated to the United States 1882 and lived in Brooklyn, New York. Armbruster photographed historic houses, churches, streetscapes, and buildings throughout New York City, and some of the images he created served to illustrate pamphlets he wrote on the local history of the area.

Prints and negatives related to New York from the Eugene L. Armbruster Photograph Collection have been digitized and are available in the Shelby White and Leon Levy Digital Library.

Biographical Note

Eugene L. Armbruster (1865 - 1943) was born in Baden-Baden, Germany, and came to the United States in 1882. His first job was with H. Henkel Cigar Box Manufacturing Company, where he continued to work until his retirement in 1920. He lived in Bushwick, Brooklyn, with his wife and two children, Julia and Eugene Jr.

Armbruster took photographs beginning in the late 19th century, but the majority of his work is from the 1910s and 1920s. Around the time of his retirement, Armbruster became interested in local history and began to photograph his environs in earnest, specifically the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. He took thousands of photographs of historic houses, churches, streetscapes, and buildings throughout New York City and Long Island.

Beginning around 1915, Armbruster wrote for the "Old-Timer" column of the Brooklyn Eagle. He honed his knowledge of local history through reading and extensive walking throughout the streets he was documenting. A majority of his photographs are annotated with historical information. He sought the rural environments linked to the past, turning to the rural counties of Long Island after the towns and neighborhoods of Brooklyn and Queens started growing and modernizing in the early 1920s. From 1914 to 1929, Armbruster published several pamphlets about local history, which he illustrated with his own line drawings, copy photos, and original photographs. In the 1930s, he published three pamphlets on language and its origins, seemingly a new interest.

He was forced to give up photography around 1940 after he developed cataracts on his eyes. He died on September 21, 1943.

Arrangement

This collection is organized in two series:

Series I: Prints
Series II: Negatives

Within each series, materials are divided by format and by size.

Scope and Contents

The Eugene L. Armbruster Photograph Collection includes approximately 5,000 black and white gelatin silver prints, approximately 3,500 acetate film negatives; approximately 1,400 nitrate film negatives; four 4 x 5" glass negatives; 235 5 x 7" glass negatives; 230 6.5 x 8.5" glass negatives; and 48 8 x 10" glass negatives.

The collection spans the period from 1894-1939 and contains photographic views of New York State, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New England, and Canada. Most of the photographs show New York City, especially Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island. These images document many structures that no longer exist, and in some cases may be the only extant photographic record. The collection is arranged into two series based on format: Prints and Negatives. The prints and negatives have not been matched to each other, although there are most likely many corresponding positives and negatives in the collection. Within each series, subseries are arranged by size or material, and thereunder alphabetically by state, and then by. Within New York State, the photos of New York City and Long Island are divided into county and then by neighborhood.

Series I. Prints is divided into the following subseries: Prints: 3.5 x 4.5" (and smaller); Prints: 5 x 7"; and Mounted Prints. Most prints are annotated in some manner on the verso. Some prints have Armbruster's map on the verso, showing the exact location of the building/house. Often he has included historical information on the house or building and in some cases he has added notes such as "still standing 1929."

The majority of photographs were taken after Armbruster's retirement in 1920. Earlier photographs are generally of New York City or nearby counties in New Jersey. With time on his hands, Armbruster traveled out of New York City, and those trips are well documented here. In July, 1925, for example, Armbruster traveled throughout New York State, New England, and Canada. It is notable that these photographs reflect only historic buildings and sites, not family or leisure shots.

Many of the Brooklyn and Queens photos (and all of the 5 x 7" prints) date from 1922. Most of the subjects no longer exist, mainly due to a building boom in the boroughs in the late 1920s. In some cases Armbruster seems to have been aware of demolition plans, and photographed houses for just that reason. The views of Brooklyn are also notable for their almost exclusive focus on historical sites and subjects. Other photographs of the borough from a similar time period often show modern improvements, such as elevated rail tracks, automobiles, industry and skyscrapers. Armbruster organized his Brooklyn photos in groups according to the six original towns in the county: Brooklyn, Bushwick, Flatbush, Flatlands, Gravesend and New Utrecht.

Notable Brooklyn structures pictured include Holland School, Lefferts Farm, and Packer Collegiate Institute. Other commercial buildings shown are grocery stores, engine houses, gymnasiums, banks, hotels, cigar stores, a tollhouse on Flatbush Avenue, florists, and a blacksmith and wheelwright shop.

Brooklyn residences include the homes of the following notable Brooklyn residents: Treadwell Abrams, Wynant Bennett, Fenwick Bergen, Jeremiah Bergen, John L. Bergen; Horace B. Claflin, Samuel Coland, Charles Ekoch, Joseph Fleming, John Franklin, Joseph Golden, Joseph Herrings, John F. James, Horatio King, Johannes Lott, Judge Ganet L. Martense, Henry Evelyn Pierrepont (1808-1888), W. A. Putnam, Derick Remsen, Johannes Remsen, James S. Rockwell, John J. Ryder, John F. Ryerson, John Schenk, Moses Snydaw, David D. Stillwell, Colonel David M. Stone (1817-1895), Charles Strohm, Spencer Trask, Rutgert Joosten Van Brunt, John H. Van Cleef, John L. Van Pelt, John J. Vanderbilt (d. 1842), Daniel D. Whitney, Lionel Wilbur, and Garrett Williams.

Churches in Brooklyn shown include: Central Presbyterian Church, Church of the New Jerusalem, Emanuel Protestant Episcopal Church, First Presbyterian Church, First Unitarian Church of Our Savior, Grace Church, Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church, New Utrecht Reformed Dutch Church, Plymouth Church, Reform Church on the Heights, St. John's Lutheran Church, St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, and St. Paul's Episcopal Church.

Series II. Negatives is arranged in five subseries: Acetate Film Negatives: 4 x 5"; Nitrate Film Negatives: 5 x 7"; Glass Plate Negatives: 5 x 7" (and smaller); Glass Plate Negatives: 6.5 x 8.5"; and Glass Plate Negatives: 8 x 10".

Negatives are arranged by geographic location, if known, as described above. Subject terms found in the Thesaurus for Graphic Material (Library of Congress: 1995) have been utilized to further organize negatives beyond geographical divisions. Photograph topics fall into the following categories: architectural elements, automobiles, barns, boats, buildings, churches, dams, farmhouses, interiors, landscapes, people, row houses, streets, and windmills.

Featured buildings in Subseries IV: Glass Plate Negatives: 6.5 x 8.5," include: the Abbey Pub, the Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn Waterworks, the Bushwick Hospital, Federal Courts Building, Fort Greene Tobacco Works, Mansion House, the Packer Collegiate Institute, and Underhill's Colonnade Buildings (on edge of Brooklyn Heights). Other commercial buildings shown are hotels, a horse-shoeing shop, ferry terminals, flour mills, printing offices, public school, race courses, a saw manufacturer, and several theaters. Among the churches shown are: Bushwick Church, First Reformed Church, Grace Church, New Utrecht Church, Old Assumption Church, Old St. Ann's Protestant Episcopal Church, Plymouth Church, St. James Roman Catholic Church, and St. Mark's Episcopal Church.

Houses shown in Subseries IV include those of: Thomas Bennett; Dewitt Clinton; Seth Low, mayor of Brooklyn and New York City; the Schermerhorn family; the Van Brunt family; and Mayor (of Williamsburgh) William Wall. Other views of interest are: a circular, dated October 1, 1869, announcing the opening of Wechsler and Abraham Clothing Store; the City of Williamsburgh Seal; and an October 3, 1860 Brooklyn survey map.

Access Restrictions

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Use Restrictions

Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.

Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.

Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as: Eugene L. Armbruster Photograph Collection, PR 81, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, The New-York Historical Society.

Location of Materials

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchase, October 21, 1944, November 20, 1944, and February 28, 1945.

Separated Materials

Subseries II, Nitrate Film Negatives: 5 x 7", has been separated from the rest of the Eugene L. Armbruster Collection. Nitrate negatives are not housed in the Print Room due to potential storage hazards; all nitrate negatives are stored on Floor 14 of the N-YHS Library stacks. Please ask a staff member for assistance with these negatives.

Related Materials

The following 10 pamphlets written and/or published by Armbruster are held in The New-York Historical Society Library: Bruijkleen Colonie. New York, 1918.Coney Island. New York: [Armbruster], 1924.The Eastern district of Brooklyn; with illustrations and maps. New York [Printed by G. Quattlander], 1912.The Ferry road on Long Island. New York [Printed by G. Quattlander], 1919.Long Island landmarks. New York, 1923.The Indians of New England and New Netherland. [Brooklyn, N.Y. : Quattlander], 1918.Marriages of Long Island settlers and allied families. Jamaica, N.Y. : Queens Borough Public Library, 1941.Montauk. New York: [s.n.], c. 1923.The Olympia settlement in early Brooklyn. N.Y. New York, 1929.The Wallabout prison ships. New York, 1920.

The New York Public Library, Brooklyn Historical Society, and Queens Borough Public Library all hold extensive Armbruster photograph and ephemera (pamphlets, scrapbooks, papers) collections.

Collection processed by

Jenny Gotwals

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:47:44 -0400.
Language: Description is in English.

Edition of this Guide

This version was derived from armbruster.xml

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024