1936, 1937: "THE SPIRIT OF AMERICA" PLAQUE
and
"THE SPIRIT OF THE FLAG" STATUETTE
During the years between the World Wars, Viquesney continued to produce military and patriotic pieces, often continuing his "Spirit of" theme. He was particularly proud of a desktop statuette he called "The Spirit of the Flag" (below, left), noting that a copy was presented to then President Franklin D. Roosevelt on his birthday and "complimented highly" by him.
The figure was also the centerpiece of a patriotic plaque called "The Spirit of America" (or "Americanism"). It's also known as "The American's Creed", or "We Follow the Flag" plaque, and was designed to be displayed in schools, libraries, and courthouses to counter what the artist perceived to be "the inroads of Communism and Fascism" threatening America's youth during the 1930s.
There are two copyright records for the piece: The first (1936) calls it "We Follow the Flag"; the second (1937), the "Americanism Panel".
The plaque came in both plaster and bronze versions; one of the latter sold on eBay in 2006 for over $1,500. Copies of the plaque are displayed in Spencer, Indiana at the Owen County Heritage and Culture Center, the city hall, and Viquesney Pavilion in Riverside Cemetery. There is a copy in Butler University's Jordan Hall (installed February, 1941), and in the lobby of Purdue University's Memorial Union building. In October of 1941, a copy was installed at the Indiana State School for the deaf in Indianapolis.
The bronze version of the plaque weighs about 150 pounds; the plaster version, about 50. It came with a booklet, the front page of which is shown below, right. In it, the artist details the story of how he came to create the piece. There was also a smaller plaster version for home display.
Look closely on the right and you'll see that Viquesney's "Spirit of the American Navy" has also been recycled into the composition.
The newspaper article at left describes the incorporation of a company to distribute the panel nationwide. Its high hopes were never realized.
Our thanks to Harlan Ogle, Monticello, Kentucky, for the illustration above, and the scan of the booklet cover.
The figure was also the centerpiece of a patriotic plaque called "The Spirit of America" (or "Americanism"). It's also known as "The American's Creed", or "We Follow the Flag" plaque, and was designed to be displayed in schools, libraries, and courthouses to counter what the artist perceived to be "the inroads of Communism and Fascism" threatening America's youth during the 1930s.
There are two copyright records for the piece: The first (1936) calls it "We Follow the Flag"; the second (1937), the "Americanism Panel".
The plaque came in both plaster and bronze versions; one of the latter sold on eBay in 2006 for over $1,500. Copies of the plaque are displayed in Spencer, Indiana at the Owen County Heritage and Culture Center, the city hall, and Viquesney Pavilion in Riverside Cemetery. There is a copy in Butler University's Jordan Hall (installed February, 1941), and in the lobby of Purdue University's Memorial Union building. In October of 1941, a copy was installed at the Indiana State School for the deaf in Indianapolis.
The bronze version of the plaque weighs about 150 pounds; the plaster version, about 50. It came with a booklet, the front page of which is shown below, right. In it, the artist details the story of how he came to create the piece. There was also a smaller plaster version for home display.
Look closely on the right and you'll see that Viquesney's "Spirit of the American Navy" has also been recycled into the composition.
The newspaper article at left describes the incorporation of a company to distribute the panel nationwide. Its high hopes were never realized.
Our thanks to Harlan Ogle, Monticello, Kentucky, for the illustration above, and the scan of the booklet cover.
 Viquesney's ''Spirit of the flag'' is the centerpiece of his ''Spirit of America'' plaque, shown at right and described below. Click image to enlarge. |
 ''The Spirit of America'' (a.k.a ''The Spirit of Americansm'', ''We Follow the Flag'', or ''The American's Creed'') plaque. Click image for more information. |
The ad below is from a Viquesney newsletter. Here the plaque is called "Spirit of Americanism".
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