 ''Sailor'', west end bridge, south side.  Variant Doughboy, east end bridge, south side. |
 Doughboy, west end bridge, north side.  Doughboy, east end bridge, north side. |
PALATKA, FLORIDA
N 29° 38.667 / W 081° 36.934 (East end)
N 29° 38.827 / W 081° 37.685 (West end)
Copyright version 1920, pressed copper.
Smithsonian Art Inventory Control Numbers: 47260011, FL000478, FL000479, *47260137.
*(Misidentified "Sailor" as "Spirit of the American Navy")
N 29° 38.827 / W 081° 37.685 (West end)
Copyright version 1920, pressed copper.
Smithsonian Art Inventory Control Numbers: 47260011, FL000478, FL000479, *47260137.
*(Misidentified "Sailor" as "Spirit of the American Navy")
West end statues are at N. 1st Street and Reid Street (Hwy. 17).
An old photo shows one of the Doughboys at one of the original bridge pylons. Note the rifle is already gone.
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The four sculptures shown in the color photos above were dedicated November 11, 1927 at the two ends of Memorial Park Bridge over the St. Johns River near downtown Palatka, and later placed in the same relative positions when the New Memorial Bridge was completed in 1976. There is an informational marker near one of the Doughboys which erroneously spells Viquesney's name as "Viguesney", and claims "The Spirit of the American Doughboy" is the only statue "endorsed" by the American Legion (it never was; in fact, Viquesney was forced by legal action in 1935 to cease such claims).
The top two photos are at the bridge's town (West) end and the bottom two are at the county (East) end. The photos on the left are on the South side of the bridge and those at the right are on the North side. The upper right Doughboy's rifle has been replaced by a pistol in the left hand, apparently after the rifle was broken off by vandals swinging from it (a fairly common experience). The lower right Doughboy's rifle has been replaced by three sticks of dynamite in the left hand. |
palatka's variant doughboy
The Doughboy statue in the bottom left photo above differs from all other Viquesney Doughboys that have been located except Lakemore, Ohio. It’s referred to in Palatka as the "Parade Rest" Doughboy, even though its stance is more like what the U. S. Army described as the "sling arms" position. Information about the sculptures in Palatka is limited. The Smithsonian record for this piece lists Gutzon Borglum as co-artist, but that isn't know for sure. It's most likely that Viquesney did sculpt both this variant-pose Doughboy and the variant-pose "Sailor" sculpture shown below, since all four of Palatka's statues were dedicated the same day and are all noted in a list of locations published by Viquesney in 1935. The pose of this Doughboy is a "standard" one similar to others by different sculptors and seen in various other locations.
A stone maker to the right of the variant Doughboy reads:
OLD
MEMORIAL BRIDGE
PARK
PROJECT FUNDED BY
STATE of FLORIDA
DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL
RESOURCES
F.R.D.A.R. GRANT
OLD
MEMORIAL BRIDGE
PARK
PROJECT FUNDED BY
STATE of FLORIDA
DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL
RESOURCES
F.R.D.A.R. GRANT
Palatka's VARIANT "Sailor"
1926 catalog illustration.
Viquesney's "Sailor" sculpture in the illustration at right shows the differences between this Navy sculpture and his other "Navy" sculptures. In the others, the figure appears to be standing by a rope-wrapped stanchion on a dock while he waves his cap at some offshore object. The below-the-waist portion at Palatka appears to be similar to the others, but here he's wearing his cap and is holding a large naval ammunition shell. The piece is misidentified as "Spirit of the American Navy" in the Smithsonian Institution's Inventory of American Sculpture (IAS).
This version of the statue appeared in a 1926 Friedley-Voshardt catalog. This design may have been discontinued because of an amusing silhouette presented by the statue each evening at around sunset. It's also possible that this design was a special order done for Palatka, since both it and the variant Doughboy are one-of-a-kind Viquesney creations. Whatever the reason, it appears both designs were never used again.
This version of the statue appeared in a 1926 Friedley-Voshardt catalog. This design may have been discontinued because of an amusing silhouette presented by the statue each evening at around sunset. It's also possible that this design was a special order done for Palatka, since both it and the variant Doughboy are one-of-a-kind Viquesney creations. Whatever the reason, it appears both designs were never used again.
Photo provided by Mary Murphy, Putnam County Archivist.
Five young ladies at the Palatka end of the Memorial Bridge during the November 11, 1927 joint dedication of the bridge, the park, and the Plataka Doughboys and Sailor. The object on the hood of the auto is a model of the bridge.
