Spirit of the American Doughboy

The Spirit of the American Doughboy is a pressed copper sculpture by Ernest Moore Viquesney, designed to honor the veterans and casualties of World War I. Mass produced during the 1920s and 1930s for communities throughout the United States, the statue's design was the most popular of its kind; spawning a wave of collectible miniatures and related memorabilia as well as numerous copies by other artists. Nicknames for the statue are "The Doughboy" and Iron Mike.

There are three versions of the statue: The pressed copper version mentioned above, copyrighted in 1920 and produced by Friedley-Voshardt Company of Chicago, IL, from 1921 to 1933; a rare stone version, copyrighted in 1922 and existing in only three locations (Madison, GA, Madison, WV, and Parsons, KS); and a cast zinc version (often copper-plated) copyrighted in 1934 (source for Friedley-Voshardt and cast zinc information: Carol Grissom, Senior Artifacts Conservator, Smithsonian Institution).