Portland has one of three identical Joan of Arc statues; the other two are in Paris and Philadelphia. How did this come to be? Well, sculptor Emmanuel Frémiet — whose work can be seen at the Louvre and Musée d'Orsay, by the way — was hired by the French government to make the original in 1870. (Fun fact, Frémiet hired Aimée Girod, from Joan of Arc's village Domrémy, to sit as his model!)

Fast forward to 1924: Henry Waldo Coe, a Portland-based doctor, politician and friend of Teddy Roosevelt’s had seen the statue in Paris, and decided Portland should have one to honor World War I veterans who had claimed Joan as their patron saint`.

Using the original molds, artisans made a copy — bronze for Joan and her horse and copper for the flag — and installed it in Coe Circle in the Laurelhurst neighborhood of Portland, a roundabout I drive round about on the regular.

I recently found out that Philadelphia lovingly refers to their statue as “Joanie on a Pony,” and I’m now doing my best to bring that nickname to Portland as well. Spread the word :)

About the Portland Print Series
This series was inspired some of the places and things I love most about my hometown (and where I still live!) of Portland, Oregon.

DETAILS:

• Unframed

• Printed with pigment inks on thick, 100% cotton fine art paper. The work is archival, made with care, and made to last.

• There is a white border around the image which is included in the total size.