The outdoor statue is prominently displayed in the Place des Pyramides in Paris.

The original statue was commissioned by the French government after the defeat of the country in the 1870 Franco-Prussian War.

It is the only public commission of the state from 1870 to 1914, called the Golden Age of statuary in Paris, the other statues were funded by private subscriptions.

The sculptor took as his model Aimée Girod (1856–1937), a young woman from Domrémy, Joan of Arc's village in Lorraine.

Reviving a tradition from the far-right leagues, on every May Day, the National Front holds an annual ceremony in her honour at the statue.