The bronze sculpture, which depicts Joan of Arc, was donated to the city by Henry Waldo Coe, who saw Frémiet's original statue in Paris.

Portland's copy arrived from France in 1924 and was dedicated on Memorial Day in 1925 in honor of the Doughboys of World War I. Joan of Arc is an outdoor equestrian statue installed in Coe Circle, at the intersection of Northeast Cesar E. Chavez Blvd.

The sculpture is one of several copies of Emmanuel Frémiet's 1874 gilded bronze statue, Jeanne d'Arc, which is installed at the Place des Pyramides in Paris.

[citation needed] To choose the design for the base the city art commission and the Portland chapter of architects held a contest.

[8] Over the years the gold leaf that brilliantly adorned the statue slowly deteriorated until there was no trace of its luster and the artwork was surveyed by the Smithsonian Institution's "Save Outdoor Sculpture!"