This candid snapshot captures a group of young U.S. Army servicemen at ease inside a post mess hall, believed to be at the Presidio, a historic U.S. Army installation. Three men in the crisp white uniforms and tall pleated caps of Army cooks and bakers sit arm-in-arm with two comrades in field service dress and riding boots, hinting at the mix of support and mounted or line units stationed together on post. Uniform styles and grooming suggest a date in the World War I era or shortly thereafter. Photographs like this offer an intimate glimpse of everyday camaraderie behind the more formal record of military service. Project: 218577