Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip in 1914; the global conflict that ensued ultimately claimed the lives of an estimated 15-20 million soldiers and civilians. In the Spring of 1917, the United States declared war on Germany and joined the Allied Powers. Before the war’s end with the signing of the Armistice in the Fall of 1918, more than 46,000 recruits entered Parris Island and became new Marines – Arnold Beckman included. Still a teenager, Arnold had enlisted just after his high school graduation and headed to South Carolina for boot camp, where the military issued a uniform and initiated a regimen of training drills designed to ready him for active service.
The online exhibit is accessible below for viewing here or on its host platform. Its mp4 file format was rendered in high definition (1080p). Sound runs throughout ("Extraction Point" music by Jon Sumner) but can be muted, if preferred. The presentation can be paused to allow for additional time to read photo interpretations. A progress bar near the bottom indicates the viewer’s journey through the slides. Run time is 6:19.
Viewing tip: Enlarge the video to the size of the browser, or switch to the host platform and select HD.
Online Exhibit Video and PDFs
Except where noted, images depicted in the online exhibit were sourced from the Beckman Foundation Collection and are property of the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation. As such, they may not be copied, reproduced, used, stored, or sold without written permission.
Viewers can also access PDFs of the online exhibit slides in 3 parts using the following document links:
Selected Highlights
Curatorial Notes
This online exhibit was an interesting one to create because we had a collection that was largely comprised of pieces from a wartime field uniform – over 100 years old – and they were in exceptional condition for their age. As we neared Veterans Day we wanted to use them to tell our soldier’s story, but with the insight that this soldier’s service during The Great War never took him overseas. Arnold Beckman completed boot camp at Parris Island and almost as soon as he finished, the Armistice was signed and ended the war, so he did not see a day of combat on the European front. Nevertheless, as a teenager who had enlisted just after graduating high school, compelled out of a sense of patriotic duty and with a real knowledge of the stakes, Arnold’s commitment to the cause was admirable. So, we approached this exhibit as a soldier’s story about lucky turns in the face of unlucky times – and what we could learn from Arnold Beckman’s example. The best way to accomplish that was to give the uniform context, so we set up the exhibit in three parts: Part I establishes the circumstances that led to WWI and the players involved, Part II references Arnold’s time at Parris Island boot camp and his field uniform, and Part III explains the signing of the Armistice and what happens to Arnold when he leaves Parris Island.
The patchwork brown and olive-drab wool of Arnold’s field uniform jacket inspired the color tones for the entire exhibit. The colors tell part of the war story for Marines. During WWI, Marines initially wore forest-green wool service uniforms. Under orders of General John Pershing, however, Marines were issued U.S. Army olive-drab wool uniforms or tunic jackets with patchwork mends of brown and olive-drab wool. The two service branches then had a similar appearance, could use surplus Army uniforms, and would prevent the possibility of having their uniforms mistaken for the enemy’s. The brown and olive became the springboard for our exhibit’s primary graphics, beginning with “Arnold Stands Guard,” which features a line art overlay of Arnold Beckman holding his rifle at boot camp backed by color-filled echoes of his cut-out image arranged with a layered effect.
Our online exhibit uses archival photos, documents, and objects, primarily textiles, including some that are more than a century old. This exhibit was curated to show political turmoil, wartime conflict, boot camp training, and military service in ways that help viewers imagine what it might have been like during the time. The images in this exhibit show news coverage of an assassination that set off a chain of events with global impact. They offer a glimpse into how, as a nation, we prepare our sons and brothers for combat before sending them around the world with our hopes and prayers. They take us to a moment in time when the name of the soldier stamped on your belt probably was not your own. They remind us of the importance of service, sacrifice, and peace.
An estimated 15-20 million service members and civilians were killed in The Great War. Arnold Beckman was keenly aware of the role that luck played in his life, especially during his time as a Marine. Our hope is that the exhibit we’ve curated depicts an accurate history, provides a window into the events that helped shape the man Arnold became and, as Veterans Day approaches, offers a timely reminder of the extraordinary contributions of our military service members.
KR
DeepDive: "Your Uniform Is Your Pass"
The Boot Camp Experience
Video Learning: WWI Documentary Playlist
Additional Resources
- Watch this video, "How a Wrong Turn Started World War I" from History.com.
- Read this transcript of President Wilson's Declaration of War Message to Congress from April 2, 1917, from the National Archives.
- View this global WWI interactive map to see which countries were part of Allied Powers, neutral, supporters, or Central Powers, from The National WWI Museum and Memorial.
- Check out this interactive WWI timeline from The National WWI Museum and Memorial.
- Visit this website to learn about the history of the Marine Corps.
- Study America’s role in World War I with this article from History.com.
- Read this webpage with the terms of the Armistice agreement from the U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian.
Keywords: Beckman, archive, exhibit, curated, AMBF, Arnold and Mabel, Arnold O. Beckman, Marines, military, boot camp, training, drills, Parris Island, enlistment, uniform, textiles, soldier, war, WWI, Great War, Armistice, service, video, resources, YouTube, military history, Beckman history
Acknowledgment: Thank you to our volunteer Student Research Assistant (SRA), Jacob Rodriquez, who completed archival research pertaining to Arnold Beckman’s service member club pass identified by the heading, “Your Uniform is Your Pass.” The information helped reveal a fuller history of the piece, gave evidence of its provenance, and provided deeper contextual meaning for viewers taking in the story of the object in relation to others in the exhibit.
