Detail of an ad for the Viquesney Doughboy Statuette.
THE VIQUESNEY DOUGHBOY MINIATURES
In April, 1921, Viquesney's "Spirit of the American Doughboy" won a national American Legon design competition held in Centralia, Washington, 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", and actual distribution began on August 19, 1921). Many of these bear the copyright date of 1920, but some don't; it depends where the statuette was made. Production first began in a room in Walter Rylander's Ford dealership building in Americus, Georgia, but later there were several manufacturing facilities located in the northeast and mid-west. The first miniature Doughboy to be distributed was won as a raffle or door prize at a Kiwanis Club luncheon by Jack Holst, a lieutenant in the Great War. The first two to be actually shipped from Americus, Georgia were sent free of charge to President Warren G. Harding and General Jack Pershing, commander of the armed forces in the war. Sales immediately took off, and by 1927, 25,000 had found their way into homes and offices across the country.
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.
Viquesney's miniature Doughboys were later sold in various sizes and styles, including table lamps, smaller 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.
Although deceptive wording in Viquesney's ads often led prospective buyers to believe otherwise, none of the statuettes was ever made of bronze, despite the claims of many sellers on eBay and other auction websites. It was only after the buyer had received his statuette that he or she would find a descriptive printed insert describing the piece as being made of soft "white metal [a lead alloy] which bruises easily".
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 were made long after his death in 1946, as in a 1983 example at King, Wisconsin.
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. But during the Great Depression of the 1930s, sales 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 early 1940s, 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.
Although deceptive wording in Viquesney's ads often led prospective buyers to believe otherwise, none of the statuettes was ever made of bronze, despite the claims of many sellers on eBay and other auction websites. It was only after the buyer had received his statuette that he or she would find a descriptive printed insert describing the piece as being made of soft "white metal [a lead alloy] which bruises easily".
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 were made long after his death in 1946, as in a 1983 example at King, Wisconsin.
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. But during the Great Depression of the 1930s, sales 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 early 1940s, 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 differences being the vertically held rifle and the title that 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, with a candle cup mounted atop the grenade hand. 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.
