Spirit of the American Doughboy - Colorado Springs, CO - Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculptures on Waymarking.com

The original left hand and rifle were vandalized and missing and a mismatched replacement left hand with no rifle was added later also the Doughboy could really benefit from substantial cleaning, treatment and restoration.

If you look closely at the following picture you can see that the left hand wrist does not match the uniform sleeve and shows a distinct line where the added hand meets the original cast arm.


The inscription on the plaque on the front of the limestone pedestal reads:

IN MEMORY OF
OUR WAR HEROES
ERECTED BY
THE CEMETERY AID
ASSOCIATION
1922

The inscription on the base of the sculpture reads:

'SPIRIT OF THE
AMERICAN DOUGHBOY'
Copyrighted by:
E.M. Viquesney, Sculptor
Americus, Georgia

Now who was 'E.M. Viquensney' you ask. Here is a little history about this sculptor.

Ernest Moore Viquesney (August 5, 1876 - October 4, 1946) American sculptor best known for his very popular World War I monument Spirit of the American Doughboy, installed in front of many American city halls and courthouses and in public parks and cemeteries in the years 1920 through 1940. The exact number of versions of the work will probably never be determined, but it is approaching 140, in 38 different states.^Wikipedia

The most comprehensive biographical source about E.M. Viquesney is found at the following .....Doughboy Searchers

TITLE: Spirit of the American Doughboy ARTIST(S): E. M Viquesney DATE: Dedicated May 30, 1922 MEDIUM: Sculpture: metal; Base: concrete mortar and Colorado red limestone CONTROL NUMBER: IAS CO000170 Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link] PHYSICAL LOCATION: Evergreen Cemetery, 1005 South Hancock, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903 DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH: Treatment is still needed. The mounted plaques are oxidizing and the Colorado Red Limestone base is showing signs of deterioration.

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date of your visit, your impressions of the sculpture, and at least ONE ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH. Add any additional information you may have, particularly any personal observations about the condition of the sculpture.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   07/20/2010 AZTech visited it 06/29/2010 Outspoken1 visited it 06/29/2010 Outspoken1 visited it 05/27/2010 WalkingDuo visited it 01/02/2010 condor1 visited it

View all visits/logs