The E. M. Viquesney "Spirit of the American Doughboy" Database
VIQUESNEY'S VERSION OF "OVER THE TOP"
A miniature of Viquesney's ''Over the Top''.
"The Doughboy statue in a new pose" and "a worthy variation of the original 'Spirit of the American Doughboy'" was how Viquesney described this piece he called "Over the Top", the same title that sculptor John Paulding had used for his own Doughboy statue in 1920. The timing of publication in 1936 of this catalog illustration seems a little more than coincidental; Paulding had just died the year before.
Did Viquesney feel he could get away with using the title now that his major rival Paulding was out of the way? Having already been sued once in 1922 for copyright infringement by the owner of American Art Bronze Foundry (the producer of Paulding's "Over the Top" statues) there was little chance Viquesney couldn't have known that "Over the Top" was the same title used by his now-deceased competitor.
This piece was known to occur in miniature and was pictured displayed in the artist's Spencer, Indiana studio in a newspaper article from 1940 (but now captioned as "The Spirit of the American Doughboy"). A possible unsigned, untitled, full-size version of it may be the one placed at Tavares, Florida in 1924, shown below. The position of the rifle and design of the base differ somewhat from the miniature shown at left, but the statue is made of thin pressed copper sheets welded together over an internal frame, the same method as used by Viquesney for most of his Doughboys.
Did Viquesney feel he could get away with using the title now that his major rival Paulding was out of the way? Having already been sued once in 1922 for copyright infringement by the owner of American Art Bronze Foundry (the producer of Paulding's "Over the Top" statues) there was little chance Viquesney couldn't have known that "Over the Top" was the same title used by his now-deceased competitor.
This piece was known to occur in miniature and was pictured displayed in the artist's Spencer, Indiana studio in a newspaper article from 1940 (but now captioned as "The Spirit of the American Doughboy"). A possible unsigned, untitled, full-size version of it may be the one placed at Tavares, Florida in 1924, shown below. The position of the rifle and design of the base differ somewhat from the miniature shown at left, but the statue is made of thin pressed copper sheets welded together over an internal frame, the same method as used by Viquesney for most of his Doughboys.
Is this Viquesney's "Over the Top"?
 Photo: ''kevystew'' of Flickr.com. Above: The statue in its setting in front of Lake County Courthouse, Tavares, Florida. It was originally placed in Summerall Park in 1924 and moved to its present location Veterans Day, 1997.
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 Detail of left photo. |
If the sculpture is indeed Viquesney's "Over the Top", it's the only one known to have been placed as a public monument. Unfortunately there's no title or signature to positively identify it. The only clue is the way it was made: Pressed copper sheets, considered a Viquesney "hallmark", as few if any other sculptors used that method.
The engraving on the base reads:
ERECTED BY
THE PEOPLE OF LAKE CO.
IN MEMORY OF HER SOLDIERS AND SAILORS
NOVEMBER 11, A.D. 1924
ERECTED BY
THE PEOPLE OF LAKE CO.
IN MEMORY OF HER SOLDIERS AND SAILORS
NOVEMBER 11, A.D. 1924
The following is from the Olando Sentinel, July 19, 1998:
TAVARES - He stands guard in front of the historic courthouse, a rejuvenated symbol of pride for Lake County residents.
The World War I doughboy, a fixture at Summerall Park since 1924, was unveiled at its new location on Main Street last year on Veterans Day after undergoing a much-needed restoration.
A crowd of more than 300 showed up for the unveiling of the copper statue. The ceremony included the opening of a time capsule buried beneath the doughboy statue in 1924.
When county Commissioner Welton Cadwell opened the copper box, he discovered only waterlogged papers with writing that was unreadable.
The old soldier is one of five in Florida thought to have been made by Georgia artist E.M. Viquesney. After World War I, Viquesney became famous for his doughboy statues, according to officials at the National Museum of Art in Washington, D.C.
He made hundreds and sold them to small towns and counties around the country that had buried their valiant sons.
Lake County's doughboy arrived in 1924 and was dedicated on Veterans Day.
Charles P. Summerall, a native of the county and namesake of the nearby park, read the inscription on the statue's marble base during the ceremony.
''ERECTED BY THE PEOPLE OF LAKE COUNTY IN MEMORY OF HER SOLDIERS AND SAILORS, NOVEMBER 11, A.D. 1924.''
The county's children, their lives marked by the war, dropped roses at the statue's base.
But time had taken its toll on the doughboy. Vandals tore off his bayonet long ago. Someone shot five holes through his copper-skinned face. His arms and gun were bent.
Also, someone attempted to break his hands and pull his gun off, said Rick Frignoca of Bronzart Foundry in Sarasota, where the antique soldier was restored.
Lake's life-size doughboy was made by hammering thin copper sheets, about the thickness of a penny, over molds. The sheets were riveted together and buffed. It's the same process, called repousse, that the French used to make the Statue of Liberty.
Using chemicals, Frignoca stripped the doughboy's copper. It was the first time the artist had worked on a doughboy. He filled in the cracks and holes with silicon bronze, reformed the soldier's misshapen arms, fortified his hollow core with steel, and buffed him with chemicals to recapture the look of aged copper.
The final step in the weeklong process was to cover the statue with protective wax, similar to that used on cars.
TAVARES - He stands guard in front of the historic courthouse, a rejuvenated symbol of pride for Lake County residents.
The World War I doughboy, a fixture at Summerall Park since 1924, was unveiled at its new location on Main Street last year on Veterans Day after undergoing a much-needed restoration.
A crowd of more than 300 showed up for the unveiling of the copper statue. The ceremony included the opening of a time capsule buried beneath the doughboy statue in 1924.
When county Commissioner Welton Cadwell opened the copper box, he discovered only waterlogged papers with writing that was unreadable.
The old soldier is one of five in Florida thought to have been made by Georgia artist E.M. Viquesney. After World War I, Viquesney became famous for his doughboy statues, according to officials at the National Museum of Art in Washington, D.C.
He made hundreds and sold them to small towns and counties around the country that had buried their valiant sons.
Lake County's doughboy arrived in 1924 and was dedicated on Veterans Day.
Charles P. Summerall, a native of the county and namesake of the nearby park, read the inscription on the statue's marble base during the ceremony.
''ERECTED BY THE PEOPLE OF LAKE COUNTY IN MEMORY OF HER SOLDIERS AND SAILORS, NOVEMBER 11, A.D. 1924.''
The county's children, their lives marked by the war, dropped roses at the statue's base.
But time had taken its toll on the doughboy. Vandals tore off his bayonet long ago. Someone shot five holes through his copper-skinned face. His arms and gun were bent.
Also, someone attempted to break his hands and pull his gun off, said Rick Frignoca of Bronzart Foundry in Sarasota, where the antique soldier was restored.
Lake's life-size doughboy was made by hammering thin copper sheets, about the thickness of a penny, over molds. The sheets were riveted together and buffed. It's the same process, called repousse, that the French used to make the Statue of Liberty.
Using chemicals, Frignoca stripped the doughboy's copper. It was the first time the artist had worked on a doughboy. He filled in the cracks and holes with silicon bronze, reformed the soldier's misshapen arms, fortified his hollow core with steel, and buffed him with chemicals to recapture the look of aged copper.
The final step in the weeklong process was to cover the statue with protective wax, similar to that used on cars.
The above article fails to mention that the "hundreds" of other Doughboys made by Viquesney weren't this one.
Attempts to gain further information from the Orlando Sentinel, the Tavares Historical Society, and the Tavares Chamber of Commerce were unsuccessful.
Attempts to gain further information from the Orlando Sentinel, the Tavares Historical Society, and the Tavares Chamber of Commerce were unsuccessful.
