LAKEMORE, OHIO
"Resting Doughboy"
N 41° 1.2958 / W 81° 25.8755
Unique version, copyright 1936, cast zinc.
Smithsonian IAS Control Number: OH000514.
"Resting Doughboy"
N 41° 1.2958 / W 81° 25.8755
Unique version, copyright 1936, cast zinc.
Smithsonian IAS Control Number: OH000514.
At the intersection of Park, Lake Road and Short Street, Lakemore, OH.
The rededication plaque reads:
IN MEMORY OF
ALL VETERANS OF
OUR COMMUNITY
WHO HONORABLY
SERVED OR PAID THE
SUPREME SACRIFICE
IN DEFENSE OF
THIS COUNTRY
ARMY NAVY 273
MAY 30 1988
IN MEMORY OF
ALL VETERANS OF
OUR COMMUNITY
WHO HONORABLY
SERVED OR PAID THE
SUPREME SACRIFICE
IN DEFENSE OF
THIS COUNTRY
ARMY NAVY 273
MAY 30 1988
This little WWI memorial is the only one known; no other Viquesney Doughboy monument looks like it. It's called "Resting Doughboy" and stands in Lakemore, Ohio. Only 40 inches tall, it's mounted atop a tall cenotaph. Copyrighted in 1936, it was cast around 1937, dedicated in 1938 and rededicated fifty years later on May 30, 1988, after being repaired and reinstalled after a truck accident. It is being maintained by Army and Navy Garrison No. 273. The Lakemore sculpture is unique among the other Viquesney Doughboy monuments, both in size and pose. It's also a true casting of zinc, like the 1934 copyright version of his Doughboy and 1943 Fighting Yank. The statue is listed on the Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS) website, but with an incorrect title and a wrong copyright date of 1930.
The sculpture was originally cast in papier mache and was offered at $75. It was available in four finishes: White, silver, copper, and what Viquesney called "statuary bronze", a dark brown, almost black color. This version came with what the artist described as a 24-inch eagle bracket, the whole assembly meant to be attached to the wall of an indoor location such as a courthouse, club room, library, church, or school. The outdoor metal version, like Lakemore's, was presumably somewhat more expensive.
In July of 2006, visitor Scott Bieszczad of Perrysburg, Ohio, took photographs of the inscriptions on the base, which revealed the actual title of the Lakemore piece was Resting Doughboy, with a copyright date of 1936. Scott also noticed a misspelling of the sculptor's name as "M VIQUESMEY" on the base. In 2012, contributor Harlan Ogle of Monticello, Kentucky, sent us a file from us.archive.org that contains an original brochure ad, listing the title and copyright date.
The sculpture was originally cast in papier mache and was offered at $75. It was available in four finishes: White, silver, copper, and what Viquesney called "statuary bronze", a dark brown, almost black color. This version came with what the artist described as a 24-inch eagle bracket, the whole assembly meant to be attached to the wall of an indoor location such as a courthouse, club room, library, church, or school. The outdoor metal version, like Lakemore's, was presumably somewhat more expensive.
In July of 2006, visitor Scott Bieszczad of Perrysburg, Ohio, took photographs of the inscriptions on the base, which revealed the actual title of the Lakemore piece was Resting Doughboy, with a copyright date of 1936. Scott also noticed a misspelling of the sculptor's name as "M VIQUESMEY" on the base. In 2012, contributor Harlan Ogle of Monticello, Kentucky, sent us a file from us.archive.org that contains an original brochure ad, listing the title and copyright date.
On the night of September 9 or early morning of September 10, 2008, the statue was broken off at the ankles and stolen by metal thieves who probably thought it was copper or bronze. The statue was recovered September 23 in Mogadore Reservoir in Portage County by fisherman Michael Wright. The statue suffered damage to the head, and the left hand and rifle were missing. John Stathopoulos, of Stathos Construction and Engineering, restored the zinc statue, which is now kept inside the garrison at 1391 Main Street. Stathopoulos made a bronze replica which stands at the original location in the triangle in the middle of town. It was rededicated Memorial Day, 2009.
