#Links: Doughboy Database

One of the most reproduced life-size sculptures in the United States is a memorial statue of a World War I American soldier. Our soldiers in that war were popularly called “Doughboys,” and the statue’s proper name is “Spirit of The American Doughboy.” Its sculptor was Ernest Moore “Dick” Viquesney, a son and grandson of French immigrant sculptors. In total, including originals made in Viquesney’s lifetime, replacements of originals, copies, those in storage, etc., about 140 are known to be standing in courthouse lawns, town squares, parks, cemeteries, and other locations, and in storage, all across America. Two that no longer exist are known to have once stood in other locations. Very few local residents in most of its locations have ever known its full proper name or the name of its sculptor. In most locations, it’s merely called “The Doughboy” or “Our Doughboy.” Still, it’s the focal point of over ten- percent of the World War I memorials in the U. S., exclusive of memorials that are limited to merely being plaques. Some people even believe that, except for the Statue of Liberty, its publicly displayed replications are collectively the “most seen” sculpture in the country.

The E. M. Viquesney Doughboy Database