A pyramid of German helmets at Grand Central

It might be a macabre sight to contemporary eyes.

But no one in this 1918 photo seems bothered by the German helmets arranged in a neat pyramid or the canons on display near Grand Central Terminal—captured from enemy supply bases by U.S. soldiers.

The setup is on something called Victory Way, described as an “open-air temple of victory” at Park Avenue just above Grand Central. A 1919 New York Times article has this to say:

“The row on row of captured German guns, the pyramids studded by thousands of German spike helmets and crowned by golden Victory statues, and the lofty white columns garlanded with wreaths, made a striking picture.”