WORLD WAR II:
"THE SPIRIT OF THE FIGHTING YANK" (1943)
Photo: J. Gary Shaw.
Continuing his "Spirit of" theme into World War II, Viquesney had high hopes for his new memorial to the G.I., "The Spirit of the Fighting Yank", describing in his own words how it stood the chance of tripling the success of his famous tribute to the soldiers of World War I, "The Spirit of the American Doughboy". But although about 140 Viquesney Doughboys are known to exist, only five cities are known to possess "The Spirit of the Fighting Yank": Chicago, Illinois; Bloomington, Indiana; Port Huron, Michigan; Belmont, North Carolina; and Oil City, Pennsylvania. Bloomington's limestone "Yank" was actually carved by Harry D. Donato, but full credit was given to Viquesney as the original sculptor. The other four "Yank" statues are made of cast zinc.
Left: As with the WWI Doughboy statuette, the "Fighting Yank" was also available as a miniature.
"The Spirit of the Fighting Yank" was Viquesney's last publicly displayed war memorial. However, his actual last piece was a miniature titled "Comrades", an allegorical group depicting a WWI Doughboy greeting his WWII G.I. counterpart with a handshake.
Left: As with the WWI Doughboy statuette, the "Fighting Yank" was also available as a miniature.
"The Spirit of the Fighting Yank" was Viquesney's last publicly displayed war memorial. However, his actual last piece was a miniature titled "Comrades", an allegorical group depicting a WWI Doughboy greeting his WWII G.I. counterpart with a handshake.
The illustration at the top of the page is from a Viquesney spec sheet issued to prospective customer VFW Post 464 of Oil City, Pennsylvania, which agreed to buy the statue. It stands today in front of the Post alongside a copy of Viquesney's "Spirit of the American Doughboy", the only known pairing of these two statues in the country.
