The back of this postcard says it was taken in Coney Island, so I doubt there was a real Duffy’s Gay Nineties — just a painted backdrop for fun-seekers to get a photo to mail back home. These two guys, on leave from the Army in 1946, seem to be enjoying themselves. The guy on the left has a single chevron, identifying him as private. The guy on the right, while blurry, still has a clear enough view of his unit patch: 1st Army. The guy on the right has some tell-tales in that hand, too (besides the bottle): on his ring-finger is a wedding ring, and between his fingers, a cigarette. The war was over, his best gal was waiting for him back home, and he got to live it up at Coney Island once in a while – he had no complaints.
