Claim: Statue of Liberty is an icon of the United States and of freedom.

The Statue of Liberty -LRB- Liberty Enlightening the World ; -LSB- La Liberté éclairant le monde , links = no -RSB- -RRB- is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City , in the United States . The copper statue , a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States , was designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and built by Gustave Eiffel . The statue was dedicated on October 28 , 1886 .   The Statue of Liberty is a robed female figure representing Libertas , the Roman goddess . She holds a torch above her head , and in her left arm carries a tabula ansata inscribed in Roman numerals with `` JULY IV MDCCLXXVI '' -LRB- July 4 , 1776 -RRB- , the date of the U.S. Declaration of Independence . A broken chain lies at her feet . The statue became an icon of freedom and of the United States , and was a welcoming sight to immigrants arriving from abroad .   Bartholdi was inspired by French law professor and politician Édouard René de Laboulaye , who is said to have commented in 1865 that any monument raised to U.S. independence would properly be a joint project of the French and U.S. peoples . Due to the post-war instability in France , work on the statue did not commence until the early 1870s . In 1875 , Laboulaye proposed that the French finance the statue and the U.S. would provide the site and build the pedestal . Bartholdi completed the head and the torch-bearing arm before the statue was fully designed , and these pieces were exhibited for publicity at international expositions .   The torch-bearing arm was displayed at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876 , and in Madison Square Park in Manhattan from 1876 to 1882 . Fundraising proved difficult , especially for the Americans , and by 1885 work on the pedestal was threatened due to lack of funds . Publisher Joseph Pulitzer of the New York World started a drive for donations to complete the project that attracted more than 120,000 contributors , most of whom gave less than a dollar . The statue was constructed in France , shipped overseas in crates , and assembled on the completed pedestal on what was then called Bedloe 's Island . The statue 's completion was marked by New York 's first ticker-tape parade and a dedication ceremony presided over by President Grover Cleveland .   The statue was administered by the United States Lighthouse Board until 1901 and then by the Department of War ; since 1933 it has been maintained by the National Park Service . Public access to the balcony surrounding the torch has been barred for safety reasons since 1916 .