IRON MIKE-BELLEAU WOOD MONUMENT |MATTE CANVAS | FRAMED

Iron Mike-Belleau Wood

At the entrance to Belleau Wood in Belleau, France stands the monument honoring the soldiers and Marines of the United States 2nd Division who fought there in June 1918.

The monument was designed by sculptor Felix de Weldon, the same artist who later created the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia.

The sculpture depicts an American Marine standing with rifle in hand, stripped to the waist, his body thin and exhausted. The figure appears almost famished, his ribs visible and his posture worn by the strain of battle. De Weldon deliberately captured the physical toll of the fighting in June 1918. Marines had marched long distances to the front, fought for days in extreme summer heat, and often had little water, sleep, or relief. Many fought with sleeves cut away or shirts removed entirely in the suffocating conditions of the wheat fields and the dense woods.

Rather than portraying a heroic figure untouched by hardship, the monument shows a Marine who looks worn down, hardened, and barely standing. It reflects the brutal reality of the Battle of Belleau Wood where the fighting often devolved into close combat at only a few yards distance. German machine gun positions were hidden throughout the forest and Marines were forced to advance across open ground before fighting through tangled brush and shattered trees with rifles, grenades, and bayonets.

The statue stands on a stone pedestal bearing the insignia of the 2nd Infantry Division whose ranks included both U.S. Army regiments and the Marine Brigade that fought in the battle.

The monument captures the raw barbarism of that fight. It does not show victory in the traditional sense. Instead it shows endurance. A Marine who has survived the violence of Belleau Wood and is still standing.

Today the monument remains one of the most powerful American memorials of the First World War in France. Located near the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, it marks the ground where American forces first proved themselves on the Western Front and where the legend of the Marines at Belleau Wood was forged.

This framed matte canvas carries a bold, graphic edge — a high-contrast black-and-white illustration offset by a small red stamp. The cotton-poly canvas has a smooth proprietary coating that keeps lines sharp and blacks deep while preserving subtle texture. It arrives stretched over a slim pine profile and finished with a dark wood frame that adds depth without stealing the artwork’s stark energy. Hang it landscape or portrait; the included sawtooth hardware makes placement simple. The sustainably sourced materials and non-toxic latex inks mean the piece looks vivid while keeping environmental impact low.

Product features
- Proprietary coated cotton-poly canvas for crisp, high-resolution prints
- Printed with non-toxic, UL-certified Greenguard Gold latex inks
- Stretched over sustainably sourced pinewood frame with multiple sizes available
- Matte finish with dark wood frame and sawtooth hanging hardware included
- Vibrant color reproduction and long-lasting image stability

Care instructions
- If the canvas does gather any dust, you may wipe it off gently with a clean, damp cloth.