Joan of Arc 12 feet bronze statue is standing in the center of Coe Circle in Laurelhurst neighborhood, Portland, Oregon, since May 30th, 1925. It is one of the several copies of the original equestrian statue of Jeanne d’Arc by Emmanuel Frémiet in Paris. Joan of Arc was a French heroine, a pioneer female warrior who had a significant role in the 100 Years’ War and is considered a symbol of bravery and a catholic saint. The statue was donated to the city by the pioneer doctor Henry Waldo Coe, who admired the original piece while visiting Paris. He wanted to honor the Doughboys who fought in Europe during the first world war with a statue of their patron saint, Joan of Arc. The statue is sitting on a granite base designed by Margaret Goodin Fritsch, the first woman to graduate from the School of Architecture at the University of Oregon and was paid by Dr. Coe’s Wife and his mother. The inscription on the base reads – “JOAN OF ARC MAID OF ORLEANS 1412-1431” Read more...

Unveiled on July 6th, 1905, for the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition in a special ceremony attended by Susan B. Anthony and many other celebrities from the women’s suffrage movement. A year later, on April 6th, 1906, it was relocated to its current location in Washington Park. It portrays Sacajawea, a Native American woman who was the only woman and a key member at the Lewis and Clark Expedition. She is standing tall, carrying her the baby son, Jean-Baptiste, soon after giving birth in the first winter of the expedition, looking far and holding her right hand in the air as if showing the direction. Alice Cooper created this 7 feet bronze statue and became the first female artist to have her art included in Portland’s public sculpture collection. The statue is one of the several statues erected with the support of the National American Woman Suffrage Association of the early 20th century. It was commissioned by the Committee of Portland Women who wanted to commemorate Sacajawea as “the pioneer mother of old Oregon.” Read more...