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Primary sourcePhotograph4 July 1918

The Tomb of Rochambeau, 1918

Édouard Brissy · 4 July 1918

A 1918 photograph of Rochambeau's grave, decorated with French and American flags.

This photograph documents Rochambeau's grave as a site of Franco-American commemoration decades after his death.

Ask Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Black-and-white photograph of a stone tomb monument with a blank inscribed plaque, surrounded by an iron railing. Flags of France and the United States fly beside it, and several people in period clothing stand nearby, some under a parasol. Trees surround the site.
Édouard Brissy, the tomb of Rochambeau, 4 July 1918.

About this source

What it is

This black-and-white photograph, taken by Édouard Brissy on 4 July 1918, shows the stone tomb of Rochambeau surrounded by an iron railing, with French and American flags flying beside it and visitors gathered nearby.

Why it matters

Taken during World War One, this image reflects how Rochambeau's memory was honored as a symbol of the alliance between France and the United States, decades after his death. It shows how memorials become sites of public commemoration long after the events they mark.

Look closer

  • Why do you think the flags of two different countries are displayed together at this grave?
  • What does the presence of visitors in period clothing tell you about the occasion being photographed?
  • What is left out of a photograph like this that might help us understand Rochambeau's life more fully?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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