Equestrian statue of Joan of Arc (New York City)

When you stand before the equestrian statue of Joan of Arc in Riverside Park, you are looking at a landmark of firsts. Unveiled in 1915, this was the very first public monument in New York City to honor a historical, non-fictional woman. Before this, the city's public statues of women were limited to allegorical figures or myths, like the Statue of Liberty. The sculpture is the work of Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington, a pioneering artist who made history as the first woman to receive a public commission for an equestrian statue in the city. At the time, her work faced skepticism from critics who doubted a woman could manage the technical demands of such a large-scale bronze. To prove her dedication, she researched armor at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and famously modeled the horse after an animal she borrowed from a local fire department in her hometown of Gloucester, Massachusetts. The statue holds a specific, intentional meaning for the artist. While many depictions of Joan of Arc focus on the warrior aspect of her life, Huntington chose to highlight her spiritual mission. You can see this in the way Joan is positioned in her stirrups, gazing upward with her sword raised toward the sky as if seeking a divine blessing before battle. The base of the monument adds a layer of physical history to this artistic vision. Designed by architect John Van Pelt, the granite plinth incorporates actual limestone blocks taken from the tower in Rouen where Joan was imprisoned and tried, along with stones from the cathedral in Reims where she stood for the coronation of King Charles VII.