Talk:Spirit of the American Doughboy

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This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the Spirit of the American Doughboy article.
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Good article Spirit of the American Doughboy has been listed as one of the Arts good articles under the good article criteria. If you can improve it further, please do. If it no longer meets these criteria, you can delist it, or ask for a reassessment.
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[edit] Comment

The original doughboy is in Nashville, Georgia, facing East on the Northwest corner of Berrien County Courthouse Square – near the intersection of Marion Avenue and Davis Street. A free photograph would be wonderful. TheGrappler 04:20, 3 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Sourcing

I've removed the statement that some of the Doughboys on the Smithsonian's list "are really very similar statues by another sculptor, John Paulding". The source cited at the end of that sentence was the Smithsonian; obviously, their own list doesn't say they're wrong. On the contrary, John Paulding has his own list at the same site, which includes his doughboys. So the claim is unsourced.

I did, however, note the number of extant originals that have been independently verified (134), which is probably good enough. If the Paulding statement is important to anyone, please find a reliable source (remember, no original research) and cite it if you put the sentence back in. Kafziel 13:32, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

I've also changed the wording about Palatka; it seems like the editor who originally included it has his own unsourced theory: The sources say the third doughboy was made by Ray Fernandez. Viquesney himself says he only had 2 doughboys in Palatka. The Smithsonian art catalog is notorious for its mistakes, so there's no reason to discount all the other sources (including Viquesney himself) just because the Smithsonian has miscategorized a statue. It's much more likely that Viquesney knew what he was doing, that there were originally 2 of each, that one of the sailors was destroyed in an auto accident (like so many other doughboys), and that it was replaced by Ray Fernandez's statue. In any event, what is stated in the article is what is supported by the citations. Kafziel 13:11, 2 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Is there really no free photograph available?

I find it hard to believe that that photograph is the best available, or that no free photograph can be found. Surely somebody in Nashville could take a photograph and release it under a free license? The best I can find on flickr is a non-commercial CC license, but there are Wikipedians in Nashville who may be able to help. TheGrappler

Maybe someone can, but Raul's 3rd Law of Wikipedia says it's not likely. This is a pretty narrow subject; not many people are going to drive around trying to find and photograph a statue they don't care about.
By the same token, even though a free photograph might eventually be taken, the image qualifies as fair use image for now. It's all that's available, and that's the whole point of fair use. Kafziel 12:14, 3 July 2006 (UTC)
I suspect that at least one editor actually already has a relevant photo. It's also a shame that the original statue happens to be in Georgia - I know there are some other states with hyperactive WikiProjects and a surprising number of go-getting photographers. I guess you're right that that is the point of fair use; but similarly it's kinda the point of being the "free" encyclopedia that it shouldn't be held on to for any longer than necessary! TheGrappler 04:21, 4 July 2006 (UTC)
I'll take a photo of one myself eventually, but the closest one in nice shape is hours away from me. A couple of them were installed before 1922, so if there are photos of those dedications they would be public domain. But that would still necessitate looking through old newspapers/microfiche at local libraries, and if I go to Maryland to do that I might as well just take one myself. This is really the perfect example of a valid use of the fair use license. Kafziel 16:41, 4 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] GA nomination

This Good Article nomination is on hold for 7 days pending resolution of the paragraph on numbers of statues and locations. Specifically these sections:

"and more than 150 copies of it were created for municipal memorials across the nation. The Smithsonian American Art Museum currently lists 159 locations and hundreds more were said to have been made." and "134 currently existing originals have been independently authenticated apart from the Smithsonianwhile Viquesney was living in Americus, Georgia"

I find this confusing, which ones are real, copies, Smithsonian counted, etc. Could this para be clarified some? Rlevse 19:06, 7 July 2006 (UTC)

I'll see what I can do. Kafziel 19:20, 7 July 2006 (UTC)
How's this?
The Smithsonian American Art Museum currently lists 159 locations. Of that number, 134 currently existing originals have been independently authenticated, and several have been identified as copies by other artists. Viquesney's actual brochures quoted a figure of over 300 by the late 1930s, claiming at least one in every state of the Union, but this is believed to be an inflated figure.
Kafziel 19:28, 7 July 2006 (UTC)
Good. I have no problem. GA status now. Rlevse 21:13, 7 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] GA Sweeps Review: Pass

As part of the WikiProject Good Articles, we're doing sweeps to go over all of the current GAs and see if they still meet the requirements of the GA criteria. I'm specifically going over all of the "Conflicts, battles and military exercises" articles. I made several corrections throughout the article as well. I believe the article currently meets the criteria and should remain listed as a Good article. Be sure to add a source for "There is no proof of this, although Viquesney's self-written obituary boasts that "he knew Borglum"." If you have any questions, let me know on my talk page and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. I have edited the article history to reflect this review. Happy editing! --Nehrams2020 (talk) 07:56, 29 November 2007 (UTC)