The French Connection - Statue Of Liberty National Monument (U.S. National Park Service) The French Connection The French Connection The French Connection An illustration of the presentation of the Statue to the U.S. Minister Levi Parsons Morton in Paris on July 4, 1881. National Park Service, Statue of Liberty NM The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the French people commemorating the alliance of France and the United States during the American Revolution. Yet, it represented much more to those individuals who proposed the gift. A photograph of Edouard de Laboulaye from the Galerie Contemporaine collection. National Park Service, Statue of Liberty NM In 1865, Edouard de Laboulaye (a French political thinker, U.S. Constitution expert, and abolitionist) proposed that a monument be built as a gift from France to the United States in order to commemorate the perseverance of freedom and democracy in the United States and to honor the work of the late president Abraham Lincoln. Laboulaye hoped that by calling attention to the recent achievements of the United States, the French people would be inspired to create their own democracy in the face of a repressive monarchy.

In 1865, France was divided between people who were still committed to the monarchy and people who supported the Enlightenment ideals (the belief that people had natural rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness). It was the hope of many French liberals that democracy would prevail and that freedom and justice for all would be attained. Bartholdi in his studio, Vavin Street, Paris, 1892. National Park Service, Statue of Liberty NM In order to turn his idea into a reality, Laboulaye talked to many prominent and influential men in France. Auguste Bartholdi - a French sculptor who had recently been commissioned to make a bust of Laboulaye - greatly supported Laboulaye's idea and was soon selected to be the sculptor of the proposed monument. A picture entitled “The Spirit of 61. God, Our Country and Liberty!” by Currier and Ives circa 1861. Library of Congress "Liberty" was a controversial idea in the 19th century. To many people it suggested violence and revolution.

Laboulaye and Bartholdi agreed that their monument should not be seen as leading an uprising, but rather as lighting the way, peacefully and lawfully. A key element was the name they gave to the Statue: Liberty Enlightening the World. Bartholdi's public monuments hailed back to classical images of a powerful, honorable national authority over any ideology. His statue of "Liberty Enlightening the World" would be above conservatism and liberalism and above radical revolutions and political turmoil. She would be an international symbol of liberty, justice, and democracy. In 1871, the Statue was transformed from idea into reality - it was to be funded, built, and presented to the United States. This project could not have happened at a better time for Laboulaye. In 1871, an uprising by members of the working and middle classes in Paris against the government was brutally crushed. Laboulaye did not support such extremism among laboring people; although he wanted to change the French government to a democratic government, he did not want to do it through violence. Despite his liberal views, Laboulaye was criticized by his colleagues because he spoke out against the violence and supported the governmental repression of the uprising.

The creation of the Statue of Liberty, however, was a chance for Laboulaye to restore his reputation as a devoted liberal and democratic advocator, honor the success of liberty in the United States, and hope that the French would be inspired to fight for the same ideals. Statue of Liberty sculptor Statue of Liberty Sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi Bartholdi (1834-1904) was born in Colmar in Alsace, France. He received training there and in Paris as an architect. He also studied painting in Paris, and in 1855 he traveled to the Middle East to continue his studies. However, Bartholdi was soon devoting his energy to sculpture. His main interest was monumental sculpture, particularly large-scale pieces of heroic accomplishments, personalities, and events.

While the Statue of Liberty is his best known work, his masterpiece is the "Lion of Belfort" (completed 1880), which is carved out of the red sandstone of a hill that towers over the city of Belfort in eastern France and is one of a number of patriotic sculptures by Bartholdi that were inspired by the French defeat in the Franco-German War of 1870-71. On February 18, 1879, the French sculptor Frï¿½dï¿½ric-Auguste Bartholdi (1834-1904) earned US Patent #11,023 for a "Design for a Statue." This statue, "Liberty Enlightening the World," would become one of the most famous monuments of world history. At a dinner party in 1865, Bartholdi and his host, historian Edouard-Renï¿½ de Laboulaye, had conceived the idea of France giving the US a monument for its Centennial of 1876. Many people believed Charlotte Bartholdi, the sculptor's mother was the model for the statue ( see for yourself ).

Auguste Bartholdi - Statue Of Liberty National Monument (U.S. National Park Service) Auguste Bartholdi A portrait of Auguste Bartholdi. National Park Service, Statue of Liberty NM Born on August 2, 1834 in Colmar, Alsace, France, Auguste Bartholdi was the French sculptor who designed the Statue of Liberty. Early in his career, Bartholdi extensively studied art, sculpture, and architecture. From 1855 to 1856, Bartholdi embarked on a life-changing trip throughout Europe and the Middle East with some fellow artists. When they visited the Sphinx and Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, Bartholdi discovered his passion for large-scale public monuments and colossal sculptures. In 1869, the Egyptian government expressed interest in designing a lighthouse for the Suez Canal. Eager and excited, Bartholdi designed a colossal statue of a robed woman holding a torch, which he called Egypt (or Progress) Brings Light to Asia. When he attended the canal's inauguration, however, Bartholdi was informed that he would not be able to proceed with the lighthouse.

Although disappointed, Bartholdi received a second chance to design a colossal statue. In 1865, Edouard de Laboulaye proposed that a monument representing freedom and democracy be created for the United States. Bartholdi was a great supporter of Laboulaye's idea and in 1870 he began designing the Statue of "Liberty Enlightening the World." Bartholdi's early sketch NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, STATUE OF LIBERTY NM In the first few years after the Statue's conception, Bartholdi made a number of trips to the U.S. The moment he first entered New York harbor by ship, he spotted the location where he knew the Statue must stand - Bedloe's Island. Bartholdi saw New York as the gateway to America and it was at Bedloe's Island that Bartholdi envisioned the Statue rising out of the star-shaped Fort Wood. Bartholdi also used his trips to stir up support for the Statue - both ideologically and financially.

When he returned to Paris in 1872, Bartholdi used his American contacts to assist Edouard de Laboulaye in creating the Franco-American Union in Paris which raised 400,000 francs to fund the construction of the Statue. Bartholdi visited the United States once more in 1876 to display the Statue's massive arm and torch at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. Afterwards the pieces were displayed in Madison Square Park, New York City until 1882 to assist in fundraising. Additionally, Bartholdi assisted with setting up the American Committee for the Statue of Liberty for fundraising in the United States for the pedestal. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, STATUE OF LIBERTY NM The Statue was fully constructed in Paris and presented by the Franco American Union to the United States Ambassador in 1884. In 1886, Bartholdi oversaw the Statue's assembly in New York and participated in its inauguration. At the ceremony, Bartholdi was presented with the key to the city and later climbed the Statue to release the tricolor French flag that veiled Liberty's face. Bartholdi died of tuberculosis in 1904.

Statue of Liberty - Facts & Summary - HISTORY.com Statue of Liberty A+E Networks Introduction The Statue of Liberty was a joint effort between France and the United States, intended to commemorate the lasting friendship between the peoples of the two nations. The French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi created the statue itself out of sheets of hammered copper, while Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, the man behind the famed Eiffel Tower, designed the statue’s steel framework. The Statue of Liberty was then given to the United States and erected atop an American-designed pedestal on a small island in Upper New York Bay, now known as Liberty Island, and dedicated by President Grover Cleveland in 1886. Over the years, the statue stood tall as millions of immigrants arrived in America via nearby Ellis Island; in 1986, it underwent an extensive renovation in honor of the centennial of its dedication. Today, the Statue of Liberty remains an enduring symbol of freedom and democracy, as well as one of the world’s most recognizable landmarks.

Google Origins of the Statue of Liberty Around 1865, as the American Civil War drew to a close, the French historian Edouard de Laboulaye proposed that France create a statue to give to the United States in celebration of that nation’s success in building a viable democracy. The sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, known for largescale sculptures, earned the commission; the goal was to design the sculpture in time for the centennial of the Declaration of Independence in 1876. The project would be a joint effort between the two countries–the French people were responsible for the statue and its assembly, while the Americans would build the pedestal on which it would stand–and a symbol of the friendship between their peoples. Did You Know? The base of the Statue of Liberty's pedestal contains exhibits on the monument's history, including the original 1886 torch. Visitor access to the Statue of Liberty's torch was halted for good after German operatives set off an explosion on the nearby Black Tom peninsula in July 1916, during World War I. Due to the need to raise funds for the statue, work on the sculpture did not begin until 1875.

Bartholdi’s massive creation, titled “Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World,” depicted a woman holding a torch in her raised right hand and a tablet in her left, upon which was engraved “July 4, 1776,” the adoption date of the Declaration of Independence. Bartholdi, who was said to have modeled the woman’s face after that of his mother, hammered large copper sheets to create the statue’s “skin” (using a technique called repousse). To create the skeleton on which the skin would be assembled, he called on Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, designer of Paris’ Eiffel Tower . Along with Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc, Eiffel built a skeleton out of iron pylon and steel that allowed the copper skin to move independently, a necessary condition for the strong winds it would endure in the chosen location of New York Harbor. Statue of Liberty: Assembly and Dedication While work went on in France on the actual statue, fundraising efforts continued in the United States for the pedestal, including contests, benefits and exhibitions. Near the end, the leading New York newspaperman Joseph Pulitzer used his paper, the World, to raise the last necessary funds.

Designed by the American architect Richard Morris Hunt, the statue’s pedestal was constructed inside the courtyard of Fort Wood, a fortress built for the War of 1812 and located on Bedloe’s Island, off the southern tip of Manhattan in Upper New York Bay. In 1885, Bartholdi completed the statue, which was disassembled, packed in more than 200 crates, and shipped to New York, arriving that June aboard the French frigate Isere. Over the next four months, workers reassembled the statue and mounted it on the pedestal; its height reached 305 feet (or 93 meters), including the pedestal. On October 28, 1886, President Grover Cleveland officially dedicated the Statue of Liberty in front of thousands of spectators. The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island In 1892, the U.S. government opened a federal immigration station on Ellis Island , located near Bedloe’s Island in Upper New York Bay. Between 1892 and 1954, some 12 million immigrants were processed on Ellis Island before receiving permission to enter the United States.

From 1900-14, during the peak years of its operation, some 5,000 to 10,000 people passed through every day. Looming above New York Harbor nearby, the Statue of Liberty provided a majestic welcome to those passing through Ellis Island. On a plaque at the entrance to the statue’s pedestal is engraved a sonnet called “The New Colossus,” written in 1883 by Emma Lazarus as part of a fundraising contest. Its most famous passage speaks to the statue’s role as a welcoming symbol of freedom and democracy for the millions of immigrants who came to America seeking a new and better life: “Give me your tired, your poor/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free/The wretched refuse of your teeming shore/Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me/I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” The Statue of Liberty Over the Years Until 1901, the U.S. Lighthouse Board operated the Statue of Liberty, as the statue’s torch represented a navigational aid for sailors. After that date, it was placed under the jurisdiction of the U.S.

War Department due to Fort Wood’s status as a still-operational army post. In 1924, the federal government made the statue a national monument, and it was transferred to the care of the National Parks Service in 1933. In 1956, Bedloe’s Island was renamed Liberty Island, and in 1965, more than a decade after its closure as a federal immigration station, Ellis Island became part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. By the early 20th century, the oxidation of the Statue of Liberty’s copper skin through exposure to rain, wind and sun had given the statue a distinctive green color, known as verdigris. In 1984, the statue was closed to the public and underwent a massive restoration in time for its centennial celebration. Even as the restoration began, the United Nations designated the Statue of Liberty as a World Heritage Site. On July 5, 1986, the Statue of Liberty reopened to the public in a centennial celebration.

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Liberty Island closed for 100 days; the Statue of Liberty itself was not reopened to visitor access until August 2004. In July 2009, the statue’s crown was again reopened to the public, though visitors must make a reservation to climb to the top of the pedestal or to the crown. Tags Statue of Liberty Statue of Liberty Statue of Liberty , originally uploaded by cheikhyass . The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World, a hollow colossus composed of thinly pounded copper sheets over a steel framework, was designed in Paris by the French sculptor Frederic Bartholdi, in collaboration with the French engineer Gustave Eiffel, who was responsible for its frame, intended as a gift from France for the centenary of American independence in 1876. Its design and construction were recognized at the time as one of the greatest technical achievements of the 19th century, and, when finally dedicated a decade later, it was hailed as a bridge between art and engineering.

Atop its pedestal, designed by noted American architect Richard Morris Hunt, on an island at the entrance to New York Harbour, the Statue has since welcomed millions of immigrants who arrived in the United States by sea. Statue of Libery and Ellis Island Circle Line Ferry , originally uploaded by Oquendo . Statue of Liberty was included as a World Heritage Site on the basis of Cultural Criteria I and VI in 1984. Criterion I. This colossal statue is a masterpiece of the human spirit. The collaboration between the sculptor Bartholdi and the engineer Eiffel resulted in the production of a technological wonder that brings together art and engineering in a new and powerful way. Criterion VI. The symbolic value of the Statue of Liberty lies in two basic factors. It was presented by France with the intention of affirming the historical alliance between the two nations. It was financed by international subscription in recognition of the establishment of the principles of freedom and democracy by the U.S. Declaration of Independence, which the Statue holds in her left hand. The Statue also soon became and has endured as a symbol of the migration of people from many countries into the United States in the late 19th and the early 20th centuries.

She endures as a highly potent symbol – inspiring contemplation, debate and protest – of ideals such as liberty, peace, human rights, abolition of slavery, democracy and opportunity. Aerial view of Statue of Liberty with Ellis Island in the background , originally uploaded by PixelFixer . Brief Historical Context surrounding Statue of Liberty. During the second half of the 19th century, the population of the United States of America nearly doubled in thirty years, from 38,500,000 inhabitants in 1870 to 76,000,000 in 1900. This prodigious growth is principally due to immigration, which reached, at that time, an unprecedented high. Between 1840 and 1880, 9,438,000 foreigners landed in the United States, among which, besides the British, were 31% Germans, 19% Irish and 10% Scandinavian. Between 1880 and 1914, the number of immigrants reached 22,000,000, this time deriving mainly from southern and eastern Europe.

Ellis Island Museum - Immigrant's Luggage , originally uploaded by jeffpearce . It is within the context of the immigration information above that the order for the Statue of Liberty was given to the French sculptor, Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. The statue, 151 feet (46 meters) in height, was officially inaugurated in 1886 on Liberty Island, a small island situated at the entrance to New York harbour one kilometer from the landing point of the immigrants, for whom it symbolized the ideals of Washington and Lincoln. Statue of Liberty Area Map - National Park Service (Click on Map for PDF) Older Statue of Liberty Torch , originally uploaded by Eddy~S . Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi - sculptor of Statue of Liberty - NPS Photo. An older version of the Statue of Liberty Torch is located in the pedistal now. The torch was the first item of the statue to be constructed in 1876.

The Statue of Liberty Torch was removed in 1984 due to corrosion, the original torch was modified many times, including the addition of over 200 panes of glass in 1916 by Gutzon Borglum, who also created Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. The addition of the panes of glass leaked water continuously inside the Statue causing corrosion damage. Alexandre Gustave Eiffel - Built the internal structure of the Statue of Liberty - NPS Photo Statue of Liberty - Internal Structure Originally uploaded by Eddie~S . Alexandre Gustave Eiffel created the ingenious load-bearing metal framework on which the copper sheets of the statue were mounted. Eiffel would undertake the construction of the Eiffel Tower shortly after the completion of his work on the Statue of Liberty. Eiffel's framework includes several of the most sophisticated features of the Statue. The general character of his work has been described as of "extraordinary daring, elegance, and refinement" and bearing a "seemingly weightless equipoise," when compared to other structures of the era that rely on a "thick accumulation of elements" for stability.

Eiffel relies on geometry to provide a minimal frame capable of bearing great weight, but also accommodating wind stress in an almost elastic manner. The frame, along with the ingenious manner in which the Statue's skin is attached by floating joints, permits a great resiliency and flexibility, against both wind stress and thermal expansion and contraction. This system, in which all the plates are supported by the central frame rather than resting on one another, is not only an early example of curtain-wall construction, but, because of the construction of the joints, is also "an uncanny prophecy" of stressed-skin construction in aeronautical engineering. Statue of Liberty Interior Framework , originally uploaded by ngotoh . Statue of Liberty History Statue of Liberty was first assembled in Paris in 1883 before it was disassembled and sent to the United States - Engraving from United States World Heritage Nomination Document. Statue of Liberty Origins A history of the Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World must begin with a resume of the career of Edouard Rene de Laboulaye, a French author and professor. The inspiration for the Statue arose from his dream of international friendship, peace, and progress.

His friend Frederic Bartholdi would give form to the idea. The genesis of the Statue lay in their creative collaboration.1 Laboulaye, a notable scholar of the history of law, long admired the United States and its political institutions, and, though he never visited the United States, wrote extensively on American history and government. He was a 19th-century liberal who favored the victory of the North in the American Civil War. Indeed, along with like-minded intellectuals and opinion-makers, he played a significant role in keeping France neutral in that conflict. He saw the Northern victory as a vindication for the Utopian or visionary view he entertained of the United States. The fervor of his sentiments is vividly reflected in the following extract from a letter he wrote to an American friend in Boston in November 1864: Abolish slavery, and the cause of Liberty is won in Europe. For four years, the South has tried to deceive opinion, but the abolition of slavery in the North, and its maintenance in the South has dissipated all false impressions. It will make a great movement of opinion in our favor, and the South will lose its last illusion.

It will fall under the curse of all, and slavery will fall with it. This will be the victory of Humanity and of Liberty.2 Laboulaye's views on America were formed in light of the history, to his day, of relations between France and the United States. Alliance with France had been vital, probably crucial, to American victory in the Revolution. This friendship was sealed in blood, for French soldiers lay buried on American battlefields. Although interrupted by the quasi-war of 1798-99 and several harsh diplomatic disagreements, the formal relations between the compatriot nations had ordinarily been reciprocally warm, and the personal relationships numerous and congenial. To illustrate the latter point, successive changes of regime in France had brought disparate groups of French exiles to the United States. A number of these individuals were illustrious: Chateaubriand, Talleyrand, Albert de Beaumetz, la Rochefoucauld-Liancourt, Comte de Ribbing, the future King Louis Philippe, Joseph Bonaparte, and Hyde de Neuville. Many of these figures eventually returned to France; others remained to enrich American culture. France, in a somewhat different way, exerted an attraction on Americans.

In the early and mid-19th century, for example, Americans interested in specialized fields of education and art worked or trained in France. These included James MacNeill Whistler, George P. Healy, Augustus St. Gaudens, William Morris Hunt, and the latter's brother, architect Richard Morris Hunt, who would design the, pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. (Richard Morris Hunt, who studied at the Ecole de Beauxf Arts, assisted Hector Martin Lefuel in the construction of the new Louvre.) Laboulaye employed the good feeling prevailing toward the United States in France as a foil to indict the regime of Napoleon III. He contrasted the spirit and behavior of American leaders, such as Washington, with his Emperor's autocratic political methods. He used his pen to level his criticism in this manner, in such writings as Histoire des Etats-Unis, and he also lectured on the theme. Eventually, Napoleon forced him to stop lecturing on American subjects. Napoleon's fall, however, permitted Laboulaye to re-enter literary and political life. Laboulaye's convictions were to triumph in another way, for they were to be incarnated in sculptural form.

Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, the sculptor of Laboulaye's ideal of Liberty, had trained in painting with the portrait artist Ary Scheffer, in sculpture with Jean-Francois Soitoux and Antoine Etex, and in architecture with Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc. At 22, Bartholdi executed a twice-lifesize statue of Gen. Jean Rapp, erected in Colmar, the home of both the subject and the sculptor, in 1856. He had thus already shown a tendency toward work in large proportions when, that same year, he first traveled to Egypt. His tour there infused him with admiration for the grand sculptural scale on which the ancient Egyptians had worked, and unquestionably influenced the epic dimensions of his future projects. Bartholdi was in Laboulaye's circle of acquaintances. Laboulaye apparently first suggested a memorial to honor the birth of the American nation and the lasting friendship between France and America to the young sculptor in the summer of 1865, when French popular sentiment toward America had been deeply affected by the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Bartholdi did not at once embrace Laboulaye's idea.

In 1867, on the contrary, he began an effort to persuade Khedive Ismail of Egypt to support construction of a colossal statue for erection at the northern entrance to the Suez Canal, a Franco-Egyptian project then nearing completion through the genius of Ferdinand de Lesseps. Bartholdi journeyed to the opening ceremonies of the canal, in 1869, to promote his project and other building plans in Egypt, but nothing came of his efforts. Bartholdi would later deny any direct connection between the proposed "Progress" or "Egypt Carrying the Light to Asia," and the Statue of Liberty, but the similarities of the two projects, as evidenced by the models Bartholdi prepared, are rather marked. Both featured colossal torch-bearing female deities placed at the entrances to key waterways, where they were intended to serve as lighthouses — and symbols. Bartholdi's papers give evidence that he began to contemplate a project for America in 1869. By the time the idea had formed sufficiently in his mind to inspire him to go to the United States, in 1871, France was suffering the calamitous aftermath of defeat in the Franco-Prussian War.

This conflict touched Bartholdi in several ways. As a soldier, he played an ineffectual role in trying to prevent the seizure of his native Alsace by a resurgent Germany. Along with Lorraine, however, Alsace was torn from France and ceded to the new German Empire. Symbolic manifestations of France's humiliation, to the sculptor, as he pursued his own projects, were the approaching completion of Ernst von Bandel's 28-meter statue of "Arminius," in Westphalia, which bore blatant anti-French inscriptions, and the beginning of Johannes Schilling's "Germania," a 10-meter figure erected at Riidesheim, near the Rhine. In early 1871, at one of the darkest hours of French fortunes, Bartholdi again discussed the prospect of a Franco-American monument with Laboulaye. Laboulaye trusted that the friendship between the two nations would endure, and suggested that the centennial of the United States' independence, then 5 years hence, would be an auspicious time to put in place a memorable symbol of the relationship.

Laboulaye encouraged Bartholdi to go to America and sound out the possibility of joint efforts to erect a suitable monument. Laboulaye's wide circle of correspondents in America would be a distinct aid to Bartholdi. As Bartholdi recalled, Laboulaye said: without any doubt there would be at the hundredth anniversary of the Independence of the United States a movement patriotic and French in America. "Go to see that country," said he to me. "You will study it, you will bring back to us your impressions. Propose to our friends over there to make with us a monument, a common work, in remembrance of the ancient friendship of France and the United States. We will take up a subscription in France. If you find a happy idea, a plan that will excite public enthusiasm, we are convinced that it will be successful on both continents, and we will do a work that will have a far-reaching moral effect.3 Bartholdi indicates that when he arrived in New York Harbor, the plan for the Statue took clear form in his mind. In America, which he toured from coast to coast for 5 months, he was received by President Ulysses S.

Grant, Senator Charles Sumner, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and many others, who offered him hospitality and encouragement. After his return to France, Bartholdi began work on a model. In the years 1871-75, he continued to refine the figure and executed other works. Public fundraising for the Statue in France did not begin in earnest until 1875. Some scholars have suggested that this long delay, which prevented completion of the project in time for the U.S. centennial, arose from the desire of Bartholdi's backers to await an opportune time for the public announcement of a project that had rather explicit political overtones. According to this theory, the Statue was not a proposal that the various factions of monarchists or the radical left could be expected to embrace readily. The political situation in France was, indeed, in flux in the years 1871-75, but equally important, the economic situation was also volatile, making the prospects of a public solicitation doubtful.

The formation of the Franco-American Union in 1875, with Laboulaye as president, in any case, coincided with the definitive rise to power of moderate, or liberal, republicans, including Laboulaye and his circle, in the French Government. For example, a useful connection was established with the appointment of Bartholdi's cousin as the French Minister to the United States. The succeeding years, furthermore, witnessed an extraordinary renaissance of French economic, artistic, intellectual, and scientific vigor; the climate was suited to the accomplishment of the effort to erect the Statue. The energy and confidence of the Statue's supporters are evident in the following extract from the first appeal to the French public, which stated the goal and method that were to be used to erect the Statue: This monument will be executed In common by the two people, associated in this fraternal work, as they were formerly in founding Independence. We shall make a gift of the Statue to our friends of America; they will unite with us to provide the cost of the execution and of the erection of the monument which will serve as a pedestal.

We will thus affirm, by an imperishable souvenir, the friendship which the blood shed by our fathers had sealed in days of yore between the two nations. Let us re-unite to celebrate this fete of modern peoples. It is necessary for us to be harmonious in order to give to this manifestation the start that it ought to have, to be worthy in the end of the past. Let each bring his mite, the smallest subscriptions will be well received. Let the number of signatures express the sentiments of France.4 Despite the economic, intellectual, and political prowess of her prime backers, Liberty was thus not to be financed by either the French central government or a small elite group. The first fundraising efforts of the French committee focused on municipalities, civic associations, and businesses. When these efforts did not yield sufficient funds to meet the costs of construction, a lottery and other devices, including concerts and the sale of models of the Statue, were utilized. These efforts brought in contributions sufficient, by July 1880, to insure the completion of the project, on which Bartholdi and a corps of skilled workmen were already hard at work.

More than 100,000 individuals subscribed, and 180 towns and municipalities. The total contributed was the equivalent of about $400,000. Construction of the Statue Bartholdi supervised construction, in the workshops of Gaget, Gauthier, et Companie at 25 Rue de Chazelles in Paris. The preliminaries to construction included choice of the material, which had to be light, easily worked, and able to resist the maritime climatic conditions to which the Statue would be exposed. Bronze was too heavy. Copper, relatively light and easily worked, was chosen. Another key decision was to utilize an interior skeleton of iron that would support the thin copper sheets of which the Statue's exterior would be composed. Such a "hollow" design would permit maximum ease of access to the interior of the head and the torch. To arrive at the final form of the Statue required a three-step enlargement process. Bartholdi had made various plaster study models of the figure. From one of these, which was 1.25 meters (4 feet) high, he prepared a 2.85-meter (9.3-foot) reproduction.

From the latter, he enlarged to 11 meters (36 feet). This last version was next cut into sections, each of which was then reproduced four times its size in plaster. New York Public Art Curriculum | Art Works Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi Location Liberty Island, visible in the distance from shoreline of Manhattan downtown on the west side, for example from Battery Park, or from the Staten Island ferry . Accessible by a ferry that leaves from Battery Park and stops both at Liberty Island and Ellis Island. For more information, visit the National Parks Service webpage for the Statue of Liberty. Description The Statue of Liberty rises 305 feet into the air, standing on a tall pedestal in a flowing, roman-inspired dress. Her right arm is raised high, holding a torch that suggests enlightenment [1]. On her head she wears a nimbus with seven points, one for each of the seven continents [2]. She looks straight ahead, mid-stride as her right foot lifts off the ground to meet her left. Cradled in her left arm she holds a book representing faith [3]. The Statue of Liberty was given to the United States by France in 1884.

Edouard Laboulaye, a French historian and politician, came up with the idea for the statue in 1865, and in 1871 he commissioned sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi to design the work [4]. Originally intended to be completed by the 100-year anniversary of the independence of the United States, the project proved too large for such an ambitious schedule, and was not finished until 1884 [5]. The work, which was put together first in France, then had to be dismantled, packaged, shipped to the United States, and re-assembled on Liberty Island (then called Bedloe Island) [6]. The sculpture was finally dedicated in a ceremony on October 26, 1886. The statue is made of a thin layer of molded copper covering an iron skeleton [7]. The skeleton, which supports the statue's 179,200 pounds of copper [8], was designed by French engineer Gustave Eiffel, who later created the Eiffel Tower in Paris. In accepting the gift of the Statue of Liberty from France, the United States agreed to raise money for the building of a pedestal on which the state would stand.

This pedestal, designed by American architect Richard Morris Hunt, is 89 feet high, and cost almost $94,000 to build [9]. In order to raise money for the construction, a committee was established, and a fund-raising drive began. One event held to benefit the drive was the Pedestal Art Loan Exhibition, at which various works of art were shown and auctioned. It was for this auction that Emma Lazarus, American poet, wrote her famous work " The New Colossus "[10]. The words of the poem, which are now widely associated with the symbolic meaning of the Statue of Liberty, were not actually posted on Liberty Island until 1903, after a friend of Lazarus' rediscovered the poem, had it inscribed on a plaque, and donated it for installation inside the pedestal [11]. It was at this time that the statue became seen as a symbol of immigration to the United States [12]. There have been various interpretations as to what were the intentions of Laboulaye and his associates in the presentation of the Statue of Liberty to the United States.

Beyond simply a gift of friendship, the statue may have been intended to stimulate trade between the two nations, or to highlight the technological advances of the French [13]. It may have been intended as a message to the French people promoting democracy and liberty as seen in the United States [14]. Possible discussion themes Immigration, and the cultures that make up New York. The representation of women as allegories in public art. Public artworks in New York created by artists from other countries, and the status of American sculptors in the late1800s. Related art works The Immigrants . This sculpture, which is located in front of Castle Clinton in Battery Park, represents a group of immigrants from various countries, waiting for the required approval to enter the United States. Whereas the Statue of Liberty evokes an image of steadfast conviction in the ideals of liberty as practiced in the United States, the figures in The Immigrants present more of the mixed emotions of arrival in a new country without a clear view of the future. The Four Continents .

Located on the former United States Customs House at Bowling Green (across the street from an entrance to Battery Park), the four sculptures representing Asia, America, Europe, and Africa are a visual illustration of turn-of-the-century conceptions of the world and its cultures. This set of sculptures was made around the time that Emma Lazarus' poem empathizing with the plight of immigrants was posted at the base of the Statue of Liberty, representing the association of the Statue of Liberty with the many immigrants that it greeted as they headed towards the immigration center at Ellis Island. Footnotes Gayle, M. & Cohen, M. (1988). The Art Commission and The Municipal Art Society guide to Manhattan's outdoor sculpture. New York: Prentice Hall Press. p. 4. Gayle & Cohen, p. 4. Moreno, B. (2000). The Statue of Liberty Encyclopedia. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 134. Gayle & Cohen, p. 3. The Statue of Liberty Immigration Glossary The Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty is one of the most famous monuments in the world and it is a very popular attraction.

It is located at the entrance to New York Harbor on Liberty Island, and it has greeted many people coming to the United States. It stands today as a symbol for many things, including freedom and hope. In 1865, a group of Frenchmen came up with the idea of building the Statue of Liberty and giving it to the United States as a gift. The United States was a new country with a democratic government for the people and by the people. At this time, the French were ruled by an emperor and they looked to the United States for inspiration. The statue was meant to celebrate democracy, but at the same time, it was meant to celebrate the friendship between France and The United States, a friendship that was formed during the American Revolutionary war. The American Revolutionary war was fought between 1775 and 1783. The United States was ruled by England before this time. The war happened because the people of the United States realized that they were not being treated fairly. During the war, the French government gave the United States French soldiers, generals and lots of money. The English had many advantages in the war, but in the end, the United States won its independence.

A French sculptor named Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi designed the statue. The official name given to it was "The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World." Building the Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty took nine years to build. The final construction was done by both French and United States workers. It was completed in France in July of 1884 and was then shipped to New York. The shipping process was difficult because the statue had to come in individual parts. The monument finally went up on October 28 of 1886. The entire monument, including the base on which the statue stands, is 305 feet tall. It is as big as a 22-story building. The statue, Lady Liberty, is made of copper that is as thick as two pennies. At first, Lady Liberty was actually the same brown color of pennies, but the statue became blue-green over the years because of oxidation caused by the sea water. The inside of Lady Liberty is made of iron and steel. The French architect who designed the inside was Gustave Eiffel. He later went on to build the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Statue of Liberty Welcomes Immigrants Between 1886 and 1924, 14 million immigrants came to the United States through New York. Lady Liberty holding her torch high in the sky welcomed these new immigrants. Most immigrants have come to the United States because their countries do not offer the opportunities the United States offer. The Statue symbolizes a new beginning. A poem called "The New Colossus" written by Emma Lazarus was placed on the base of the statue in 1903. The most famous line of the poem is "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." Statue of Liberty Fun Facts Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi's mother was the model for the look of Lady Liberty The statue's 350 individual pieces were placed inside 214 crates for the boat ride from France to New York. The Statue of Liberty is the tallest statue in the United States. Visitors of the Statue of Liberty have to climb 354 stairs to get to the crown. There are 25 windows in Lady Liberty's crown. The seven spikes on the crown represent the seven continents of the world.

The statue weighs 450,000 pounds. The statue sways side to side thee inches when it is windy. Take a virtual tour of the Statue of Liberty: 1000+ images about Statue of liberty on Pinterest | Statue of liberty, Statue and New york harbor Forward In 1865 a French writer and lawyer, Edouard de Laboulaye, first came up with the idea of the statue. The sculptor Fredric-Auguste Bartholdi, a friend of Laboulaye, would make the grand statue his obsession. In 1871 Bartholdi sailed to America, and when entering New York harbor he realized he had found the perfect location for the statue he envisioned. See More Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi | French sculptor | Britannica.com Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, (born April 2, 1834, Colmar , Alsace, France —died Oct. 4, 1904, Paris ), French sculptor of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, c. 1886.

Hulton Archive/Getty Images Bartholdi trained to be an architect in Alsace and Paris and then studied painting with Ary Scheffer and sculpture with Antoine Etex and J.-F. Soitoux. He toured the Middle East in 1856 with several “Orientalist” painters, including Jean-Léon Gérôme . In 1865 he and several others conceived an idea for a monument to the Franco-American alliance of 1778. Beginning work in 1870, Bartholdi designed the huge statue on his own initiative and was able to see its construction through using funds he raised in both France and the United States . Dedicated in 1886, the statue was titled, in full, Liberty Enlightening the World and was given to the United States by France. The Statue of Liberty is Bartholdi’s best-known work, but his masterpiece among monumental projects is the Lion of Belfort (completed 1880), which is carved out of the red sandstone of a hill that towers over the city of Belfort in eastern France.

Once a macabre collective tomb for the National Guard of Colmar (1872), this is the best known of Bartholdi’s many patriotic sculptures that were inspired by the French defeat in the Franco-German War of 1870–71. Statue of Liberty, Upper New York Bay, U.S. Tom Sobolik/Black Star

Question: The US Statue of Liberty is the work of which French sculptor?
Answer: Frederic Auguste Bartholdi