View of the Arc de Triomphe showing several craftsmen at work on a partially completed cenotaph ...

View of the Arc de Triomphe showing several craftsmen at work on a partially completed cenotaph located under the arch. This cenotaph was used in a ceremony held on 13 July 1919 that paid tribute to the 1 500 000 war dead. The gilded plaster cast structure weighed more than 30 tonnes and was constructed in ten days and nights by 45 craftsmen under the direction of the sculptor Antoine Sarotorio. It featured the figure of 'Victory', with the aerofoils of a plane as wings, and the words 'Aux Morts Pour La Patrie' on its four sides. The cenotaph was later hurriedly relocated to the entrance of the Champs Elysees to allow allied troops to pass under the Arc de Triomphe during the victory parade held on the following day.