The Statue Of Liberty – The Statue of Liberty was built in Paris by the Frenchman Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi. The sculptor worked in collaboration with Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, the man behind the Eiffel Tower and the designer of Lady Liberty’s steel frame. The sculpture is a gift from France to the United States of America on the 100th anniversary of US independence. It was raised on an American-designed pedestal on tiny Liberty Island in Upper New York Bay and opened by President Grover Cleveland in 1886 at the entrance to New York Harbor.
The Statue of Liberty is one of the most literal representations of an idea through a sculptural landmark in the world. She welcomed immigrants to a new country and instilled hope in a liberal life full of opportunity. Since millions of immigrants bypassed Ellis Island by 1943, the statue has been understood and continues to represent hope, freedom and justice. Today, the instantly recognizable silhouette around the world is most often associated with New York or the United States.
The Statue Of Liberty
Bartholdi began making plans in 1870 and led his artistic team through the sculpting process, which took place between 1875 and 1884. The Statue of Liberty is made of approximately 31 tons of forged copper sheets around a steel frame and was completed in 1885. The statue was over 151 feet (46 meters) tall and weighed 225 tons without its current pedestal.
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Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, June 1885, shows (clockwise from left) woodcuts of the completed statue in Paris, Bartholdi, and the interior structure of the statue.
The Statue of Liberty was then dismantled, packed in more than 200 crates and shipped to New York to be placed on its rightful pedestal. The sculpture arrived in June on the French frigate “Isere”. Reassembled in four months on Liberty Island in 1886, Lady Liberty stood at a final height of 305 feet (or 93 meters), including the plinth. The torch measures 29 feet (8.8 meters) from the top of the flame to the bottom of the handle. Lady Liberty underwent extensive renovations in 1986 for her centenary since her dedication.
Toward the end of the American Civil War in 1865, French historian Edouard de Laboulaye proposed the idea of a statue as a gift to the United States to celebrate the building of a viable democracy. The great sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was commissioned and began designing the sculpture, which was scheduled to be completed in 1876 by the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence.
The Statue of Liberty was put together by the joint efforts of the French and the Americans, where the latter built the pedestal as a symbol of the strength of friendship between the two nations. Despite all the plans, the works did not start until 1875, after enough funds were collected for the sculpture, which is another story.
Statue Of Liberty’s Illustrious History
The United States led fundraising for the pedestal, which included contests, benefits and exhibitions, while France worked on construction. Joseph Pulitzer, a leading New York journalist, raised the last funds through his newspaper, the World. “The New Colossus,” a sonnet written in 1883 by Emma Lazarus and displayed on a plaque at the entrance, was also part of the fundraising competition, with its most famous passage:
“Give me your weary, your miserable, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the poor waste of your lush shore. Send me these, homeless, storm-tossed, I raise my lamp by the golden gate!” The greatness and true genius of this country lies in its diversity.”
The passage symbolizes one of the roles of the statue: a notion of welcome to the millions of immigrants who come to America for a new life in a free and democratic country.
Bartholdi designed a massive sculpture of a woman holding a torch, which he called “The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World.” He is said to have modeled Lady Liberty’s face after his mother’s and used a rebound technique by nailing large copper plates to her skin. He invited Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, the designer of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, to assemble the skeleton under the skin, which Eiffel built with Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc. The skeleton is made of iron pylons and steel, allowing the copper skin to move independently to withstand the high winds common in New York Harbor.
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American architect Richard Morris Hunt designed the plinth, which was built within the courtyard of Fort Wood, a fort used during the War of 1812 on Bedloe Island in Upper New York Bay, not far from the southern tip of Manhattan. As the sculpture continued to grow, the looming silhouette offered a majestic welcome to the arriving immigrants who passed through Ellis Island.
On October 28, 1886, President Grover Cleveland officially dedicated the Statue of Liberty in front of thousands of spectators. After accepting the Statue of Liberty on behalf of the USA, he stated,
“We will not forget that Liberty has her home here; nor will her chosen altar be neglected.”
The US government opened a federal immigration station on Ellis Island in 1892 in Upper New York Bay, near Bedloe Island. About 12 million immigrants were processed through Ellis Island from that year to 1954 before being cleared to enter the United States, with a peak period from 1900 to 1914, with about 5,000 to 10,000 people each day. The American Lighthouse Board operated the Statue of Liberty until 1901 because its torch was also a guiding light for navigating sailors.
Inside The Statue Of Liberty
Lady Liberty was under the jurisdiction of the U.S. War Department during Fort Wood’s operational years as a military post until 1924. That year, the federal government designated it a national monument and transferred care to the National Park Service in 1933. In 1956, Bedloe’s Island was renamed Liberty Island, and in 1965, Ellis Island became part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument, more than ten years after it was closed as an immigration station.
The base of the statue depicts the monument’s history through exhibits and the original torch from 1886. Visitor access to this Statue of Liberty torch has been closed since July 1916, when Germany detonated the nearby Black Tom Peninsula during World War I.
The statue was conceived as a symbol of friendship between France and the USA. It indicated their mutual belief in freedom and human rights as they celebrated the abolition of slavery after the US Civil War. She was given different roles, and the symbolism evolved from the “Mother of Exiles”, who received immigrants. The National Landmark in Upper New York Bay depicts an idea that symbolizes the universal symbol of freedom.
Lady Liberty holds a torch in her raised right hand as a symbol of the guiding light on the way to freedom. The symbolism has persisted from installation through welcoming immigrants, wars, 9/11 and other events. Today’s torch has been redesigned and restored several times. Her left hand holds a tablet with the date of adoption of the Declaration of Independence written in Roman numerals as follows:
The Statue Of Liberty’s Crown Reopens For The First Time In More Than 2 Years
Rain, wind and sun exposure oxidized the statue’s skin in the early 20th century, giving it a distinctive green hue called verdigris. However, it wasn’t until 1984 that Lady Liberty received her first “rejuvenation” treatment. It was closed to the public due to major restoration efforts to clean Our Lady in time for her first centenary celebration.
During the restoration, the United Nations declared this statue a World Heritage Site. The Statue of Liberty was reopened to the public on July 5, 1986, the centenary of its birth, in a grand celebration. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, Liberty Island was officially closed for 100 days, including access to the statue. The Statue of Liberty was reopened to visitors only three years later, in August 2004, while its crown was opened to the public only in July 2009.
Tourists walk around the entrance to the Statue of Liberty behind the statue. Editorial: Mirko Chianucci / Shutterstock.com
Come meet Lady Liberty in Upper New York Bay by starting to plan your visit to Liberty Island, which is under strict visitor regulations. Get tickets online in advance for the stand; They cost about $25 for adults and $13 for children, and there is a 25% discount for seniors and show them to the park rangers at the entrance for security. Plan ahead if you plan to visit on a specific day; visitors without tickets may be turned away due to limited access.
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The entrance to the pedestal is behind the statue and everyone must go through airport security before entering. Once inside, there are 215 steps, or a 10-story climb, to the top of the plinth, as well as an elevator for those who need it. To visit the crown of the statue, you need to have tickets in advance. This is an extremely rewarding but popular experience, with only a limited number of visitors allowed per day.
The Statue of Liberty Museum opened in May 2019 with three galleries, each designed to inspire through a unique interactive experience telling the statue’s history in a thought-provoking way. Dramatic
Features a 10-minute multimedia experience that takes visitors through space and time along the walls with dynamic images, clips and narration. The comprehensive story of Lady Liberty and her
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