Souvenir Photograph of Six Young African-American Men and Women at the “Zombie Cafe” on Coney Island, c. 1950s

Coney Island, 1950. 5 x 7 inch gelatin silver photograph. Excellent contrast with light surface wear at margins.. The group stands behind and beside a mock bar counter bearing painted signage reading “Souvenir from Coney Island” and “The Lost Week-End.” Behind them appears a backdrop sign for the “Zombie Café – Drinks on the house.” The picture is notable for the group of African Americans in it, in an era when de facto segregation kept Coney Island mainly a destination for white visitors, though laws had been passed in 1895 prohibiting segregation. We find similar souvenir photos, including variant scenes also called “The Lost Weekend” from Coney Island during the period, with prop liquor bottles being a common theme in each one.