Emil Armin was born was born in Radautz, Romania on April 1, 1883. He studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago's evening classes. Armin graduated in 1920, and between 1922 and 1949 he exhibited his works at the Art Institute annuals and was invovled in the 'No-Jury Society', organized in 1922.
In 1929 Armin and Jacob Z Jacobson, a Chicago writer, shared a studio on 57th Street in Hyde Park in Chicago. This two-color woodcut depicts the everyday life in the street in front of the studio. It was given as a gift to someone in 1980.
The 57th Street art area is still home to the annual 57th Street Art Fair, where around 200 artists from all over North America set up shop on the first full weekend of June. It now attracts around 20,000 visitors each year.