The E. M. Viquesney "Spirit of the American Doughboy" Database
Detail of an ad for the Viquesney Doughboy Statuette.
THE VIQUESNEY DOUGHBOY MINIATURES
E. M. Viquesney first drew sketches for his "Spirit of the American Doughboy" design during the summer of 1918, finally copyrighting it in December of 1920.
In April, 1921, Viquesney's "Spirit of the American Doughboy" won a national American Legon design competition held in Centralia, WA, beating three or four hundred other entries. When photographs of his winning statue hit the newspapers coast-to-coast, Viquesney suddenly found himself inundated with requests for a miniature desktop version. Thus, it was announced that "12-inch" replicas of the life-size statue would be available the following June (they were really only 11.5"). Many of these bear the copyright date of 1920, but some don't; it depends where the statuette was made. There were several manufacturing facilities located in the northeast and mid-west as well as the original production plant located in a room in Walter Rylander's Ford Dealership in Americus, Georgia.
Walter Rylander was Viquesney's friend and business partner in Americus, and in 1922, Viquesney sold all right and title to the Doughboy to Rylander, who then legally owned the property for the next four years. Almost immediately after the sale, Viquesney permanently moved back to his hometown of Spencer, Indiana, while Rylander continued to produce the miniature Doughboys in Americus during those years.
Rylander had plans to shut down all other manufacturing facilities and concentrate and expand production in Americus, but before that could happen, Viquesney bought back his company from Rylander in 1926 and transferred all production out of Americus. Thereafter, miniature Doughboys began bearing the logo of Spencer, Indiana instead of Americus, Georgia.
Walter Rylander was Viquesney's friend and business partner in Americus, and in 1922, Viquesney sold all right and title to the Doughboy to Rylander, who then legally owned the property for the next four years. Almost immediately after the sale, Viquesney permanently moved back to his hometown of Spencer, Indiana, while Rylander continued to produce the miniature Doughboys in Americus during those years.
Rylander had plans to shut down all other manufacturing facilities and concentrate and expand production in Americus, but before that could happen, Viquesney bought back his company from Rylander in 1926 and transferred all production out of Americus. Thereafter, miniature Doughboys began bearing the logo of Spencer, Indiana instead of Americus, Georgia.
Thousands of Viquesney's miniature Doughboys were sold during the 1920s and '30s in various sizes and styles, including lamps, sheet metal stamp-outs, candlesticks, and sub-miniature six-inch versions. There was even an incense burner version, but it seems not to have sold well. I've only seen an illustration of it.
Some 11.5" models were made of plaster and were identical to the metal ones except the rifle was held close-in vertically against the side of the figure. This model, too, was available as a lamp, but in a different style, with the bulb encased in a globe on the base. Interestingly, this alternate pose was sometimes used by later artists for their full-size monuments which are often mistaken for Viquesney's work, but occur far after his death in 1946, as in the 1983 example at King, Wisconsin, shown at Waymarking.com.
But by far, out of all versions the most popular was the original "standard" 11.5" cast lead alloy Doughboy statuette, originally priced at $5.00 or $6.00, depending upon the finish. A newspaper article from May, 1927, stated that 25,000 of them had already been placed in homes and offices across the nation, and a 1936 flier commemorating President Franklin D. Roosevelt's signing of the Veterans' Bonus Payout Bill stated that 50,000 more at the bargain basement price of $3.00 each were being cast to satisfy the demand that Viquesney was sure would occur. There is no evidence, however, that any buying frenzy took place because of that ad. Indeed, during the Great Depression of the 1930s, sales of the 11.5" statuette apparently slowed to such a degree that today the Spencer, Indiana models, although more recent, are much rarer than the original Americus, Georgia ones from the early and mid-1920s. Production of the 11.5" statuettes continued into the 1930s, and there is some evidence that the small 6" cast lead version was still being made as late as 1946, shortly before Viquesney's death.
Some 11.5" models were made of plaster and were identical to the metal ones except the rifle was held close-in vertically against the side of the figure. This model, too, was available as a lamp, but in a different style, with the bulb encased in a globe on the base. Interestingly, this alternate pose was sometimes used by later artists for their full-size monuments which are often mistaken for Viquesney's work, but occur far after his death in 1946, as in the 1983 example at King, Wisconsin, shown at Waymarking.com.
But by far, out of all versions the most popular was the original "standard" 11.5" cast lead alloy Doughboy statuette, originally priced at $5.00 or $6.00, depending upon the finish. A newspaper article from May, 1927, stated that 25,000 of them had already been placed in homes and offices across the nation, and a 1936 flier commemorating President Franklin D. Roosevelt's signing of the Veterans' Bonus Payout Bill stated that 50,000 more at the bargain basement price of $3.00 each were being cast to satisfy the demand that Viquesney was sure would occur. There is no evidence, however, that any buying frenzy took place because of that ad. Indeed, during the Great Depression of the 1930s, sales of the 11.5" statuette apparently slowed to such a degree that today the Spencer, Indiana models, although more recent, are much rarer than the original Americus, Georgia ones from the early and mid-1920s. Production of the 11.5" statuettes continued into the 1930s, and there is some evidence that the small 6" cast lead version was still being made as late as 1946, shortly before Viquesney's death.
By the 1970s and '80s, the miniature Doughboys and other Viquesney miniature pieces were once thought to have almost completely vanished. But thanks to the research of T. Perry Wesley and the power of the World Wide Web beginning in the 1990s, a "second wave" of these almost forgotten items has begun to emerge from attics, cellars, and garages across the nation.
Below are shown some of the various models and styles of the Viquesney miniature Doughboy.
Below are shown some of the various models and styles of the Viquesney miniature Doughboy.
 The most popular version of Viquesney's miniature doughboy was this 11.5" cast lead alloy statuette. There was also a half-size 5.75" version available in cast lead or plaster.
 The 11.5" Doughboy also came in a cheaper plaster version. The only difference is the rifle is held vertically, and the title simply says "Doughboy".
 A "flat" bas-relief version about 7.5" tall, designed for mounting on a plaque. There were at least three versions of this size, cast or stamped in various metals. The stamped metal version originally came with stand-up wires attached to the back.
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 The base of the table lamp version was simply an 11.5" statuette modified with a shade and electrical hardware. It was sold as the "American Doughboy Art Lamp".
 The 11.5" plaster version was also available as a table lamp.
 The Doughboy candlestick was another variation of the 11'5" cast lead statuette, this time with a candle cup added. There was also an incense burner version that came with a special tray that fit under the base. The smoke would waft out holes drilled into the tops of the tree stumps.
 A unique disc bearing the image of Viquesney's Doughboy titled "World War Soldier 1917 - 1918". It may be what the artist referred to as his "Service Plaque".
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Various sizes and finishes of the Viquesney miniature Doughboy are shown below, along with two other pieces by the artist. Front row, left to right: The 7.5" stamped metal bas-relief Doughboy, the 5.75" metal Doughboy, and a bust of Charles Lindbergh. Back row: Dark paint finish 11.5" metal Doughboy, a WWII plaster "The Yanks Again on the Sea", and a bronze paint finish 11.5" metal Doughboy.
Photo: Keith Cunningham.
