The following drawings by Joseph Papin are all contained in the book, Washington, D.C., published by The Seabury Press in 1966, written by James Playsted Wood and illustrated by Joseph Papin.
Arlington Cemetery, Joseph Papin, 1966.
Citing an Arlington Cemetery brochure:
“Laying our Nation’s veterans and their eligible family members to rest with dignity and honor, while treating their loved ones with respect and compassion, is the cornerstone of Arlington National Cemetery’s mission.
“As you walk through the cemetery, you may see a horse-drawn caisson carrying an American flag-draped casket, hear the firing of three rifle volleys in the distance, or feel a lump in your throat as a lone bugler plays the 24 lingering notes of Taps. These honors remind us of service, sacrifice and valor – and are examples of the dignified way we take care of those who have defended and protected our freedoms.” (Web Final PDF of Brochure March 2015, https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/about)
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Joseph Papin, 1966.
“The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is Arlington National Cemetery’s most iconic memorial. For nearly 100 years, it has stood at the heart of the cemetery, serving as a site for reflection on service, valor and sacrifice. The Tomb sarcophagus stands above the grave of an Unknown Soldier from World War I, buried when the Tomb was dedicated on November 11, 1921. Two additional crypts, for Unknowns from World War II and the Korean War, were added in 1958. The Unknowns represent all unidentified service members who gave their lives for the United States.” (https://education.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Themes/Tomb-of-the-Unknown-Soldier). There is more information on the Tomb at https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/Monuments-and-Memorials/Tomb-of-the-Unknown-Soldier.
Washington, D.C. Memorials, Joseph Papin, 1966.
Joseph Papin’s drawing above contains five different memorials. I have cropped and reproduced them below using Photoshop to show each one individually. Note that I have copied the drawings directly from the book and therefore some of the clarity of the originals is lost, particularly on the individual ones below that were reproduced as very small drawings on a single page in the Washington, D.C. book.
Initial site, John F. Kennedy’s grave, Joseph Papin, 1966.
The following text is from the Arlington Cemetery website:
“The initial plot was 20 feet by 30 feet and was surrounded by a white picket fence. During the first year after Kennedy’s death, up to 3,000 people per hour visited his gravesite, and on weekends an estimated 50,000 people visited. Three years after Kennedy’s death, more than 16 million people had visited the gravesite.
“Because of the large crowds, cemetery officials and members of the Kennedy family decided that a more suitable site should be constructed. Construction began in 1965 and was completed on July 20, 1967. An eternal flame, lit by Mrs. Kennedy, burns from the center of a five-foot circular granite stone at the head of the grave.” (https://arlingtoncemetery.mil/explore/monuments-and-memorials/president-john-f-kennedy-gravesite)
Marine Corps Memorial, Joseph Papin, 1966.
The National Parks Service website describes the Memorial: “Based on an iconic image of the second flag-raising on the island of Iwo Jima during World War II, the US Marine Corps War Memorial is dedicated to ‘the Marine dead of all wars and their comrades of other services who fell fighting beside them.’
“The US Marine Corps War Memorial is located on Arlington Ridge along the axis of the National Mall. A panorama of the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, and Capitol Building are visible from its grounds.” (https://www.nps.gov/gwmp/planyourvisit/usmc_memorial.htm)
The next memorial no longer stands where it did in 1965 when Joseph Papin was in Washington D.C. doing the drawings for the 1966 Washington, D.C. book.
[Former] Confederate Memorial, Joseph Papin, 1966
The text reads: “Confederate Memorial – Graves of the Southern Soldiers who fell near Washington.”
This memorial has been moved. “As of Dec. 22, 2023, the bronze elements of the Confederate Memorial were removed from Arlington National Cemetery and are currently stored in a secure Department of Defense facility in Virginia. Army National Military Cemeteries undertook this action in order to comply with a Congressionally-mandated requirement to remove the Confederate Memorial by Jan. 1, 2024.” (https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/Monuments-and-Memorials/Confederate-Memorial). The Arlington Cemetery website contains a detailed description of the memorial and, as the website describes it, the “complex and contested legacy of the Civil War at Arlington National Cemetery, and in American culture generally.” (https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/Monuments-and-Memorials/Confederate-Memorial)
The Argonne Cross, Joseph Papin, 1966.
The cross in the drawing is the Argonne Cross. The text on drawing reads: “The Argonne Cross, World War I, dedicated to soldiers buried in France.” The Arlington Cemetery information states: “Dedicated on November 13, 1923, the Argonne Cross stands in Section 18, near the southwestern edge of the cemetery. In August 1981, the Argonne Cross was accidentally destroyed. The current monument, a replica of the original, dates from June 1982.” (https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/Monuments-and-Memorials/Argonne-Cross).
“The Argonne Cross commemorates the 1918 Meuse-Argonne Offensive (September 26 to November 11, 1918), the Allies’ massive Western Front campaign which helped conclude World War I. Involving some 1.2 million American soldiers, Meuse-Argonne was the American Expeditionary Forces’ largest campaign — as well as the deadliest military campaign in U.S. history, resulting in more than 26,000 Americans killed in action and over 120,000 total casualties.” (https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/Monuments-and-Memorials/Argonne-Cross).
The Maine Memorial, Joseph Papin, 1966.
The Maine Memorial is “the actual mast from the USS Maine, which exploded off the Havana Harbor in 1898. Although the cause of the explosion was unknown, the press in the U.S. blamed the Spanish. The rally cry became “Remember the Maine.” Thus, the United States entered the Spanish-American War. Surrounding the memorial are the remains of many of the men who lost their lives on the ship.” (https://www.trolleytours.com/washington-dc/arlington-uss-maine-memorial). Additional information is available at
https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/Monuments-and-Memorials/USS-Maine.
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