Vintage Photos of a Giant Pyramid of Captured German Helmets From WWI in New York, ca. 1918

Pyramid of German helmets near Grand Central Terminal : black-and-white photoprint, ca. 1918.

Closeup of Pyramid

Though kind of macabre, to celebrate the end of World War I in 1918, this massive pyramid was constructed near Grand Central Terminal using the helmets of captured and killed German soldiers. The label on the back of the original photograph says:

"View of the employees of the New York Central / Railroad, assembled in Victory Way, showing the pyramid of captured / German helmets, with Grand Central Terminal in / the background." Two cannons are shown at the left and right.

There must be over a thousand pointed helmets in that stack, and despite all that the Germans did, celebrating the death of that many people just seems wrong.

(via Viewing NYC)