Mademoiselle de Verchères is one of the most famous of Louis-Phillipe Hébert’s smaller sculptures. It honours the French-Canadian heroine Marie-Madeleine Jarret de Verchères. As a 14-year-old in 1692, say contemporary accounts, she led the successful defence of her community’s fort during an eight-day siege by Iroquois attackers when most of the men were away or had been captured. The statue brings her story to life, providing a striking example of a woman’s courage in time of war.