The Statue of Liberty is one of the first things that comes to our mind when we are asked to think about the U.S. One of the most popular symbols in the planet, the statue is an engineering marvel that has stood in the Liberty Island in New York Harbour for over 130 years. The credit for designing such a monumental statue goes to French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi.
Born in 1834 near France’s southern boundary with Germany, Bartholdi was attracted to art from a rather young age. He took art classes in his teenage years, studied it extensively, before eventually moving from painting to sculpture.
From 1855 to 1856, Bartholdi travelled extensively throughout Europe and western Asia with some fellow artists. It turned out to be a life-changing experience for him as visits to the ancient Sphinx and Pyramids of Egypt, some of the largest creations made by humans, helped him discover his passion for colossal structures and large-scale public sculptures.
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An idea is born
In 1865, the year U.S. President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, Bartholdi received his chance to design a statue on a magnificent scale. Over dinner one evening with his friend and historian Edouard-Rene de Laboulaye, both men discussed the blow to liberty in the U.S. with Lincoln’s death and the possibility of France gifting the U.S. in some way to mark the centennial anniversary (1876) of her independence from Britain.
Following the conception of such an idea, Bartholdi made a trip to the U.S. after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. The moment his ship entered the New York Harbour, he spotted the location where he knew the statue he was designing must stand – Bedloe’s Island (now Liberty Island). The next few years were spent in establishing the Franco-American Union as a fundraising group and raising the necessary money to construct a statue, which was to be a gift from the people of France to the people of U.S.
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In between, Bartholdi also worked on his largest statue in France, the Lion of Belfort. But before completing this work in 1880, Bartholdi had already applied and received his U.S. patent titled “Design for a statue” on February 18, 1879. In his patent application, he referred to a monumental statue “representing Liberty Enlightening the World” and described the design.
It mentioned “a female figure standing erect upon a pedestal or block”, body “clothed in the classical drapery”, the right arm “thrown up and stretched out, with a flamboyant torch grasped in the hand”, and the left arm falling against the body, holding a tablet “upon which is inscribed 4th July, 1776”. The head was to be classical, with severe and calm features, surmounted by a crown or diadem, from which seven rays radiate. These diverging rays are now said to represent the seven seas and the seven continents.
Works with Eiffel
Bartholdi realised that the statue he had in mind would require a steel frame for its body of copper sheeting. He therefore roped in French builder Gustave Eiffel, who would later create the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris, to aid him in his task, which took place in France.
Only the arm and the torch had been finished and shipped to the U.S. in time for the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition in 1876. With nearly 10 million people climbing inside it and walking the balcony surrounding the torch, it was well worth it though as it helped in the fundraising process. Lady Liberty’s head was ready by 1878 and was exhibited at the Paris World’s Fair.
The assembly of the statue’s various parts started in 1881 and was stalled for years owing to insufficient funds. The Statue of Liberty was eventually finished in January 1884 and a formal presentation was made to the American ambassador in Paris six months later on July 4, the Independence Day in the U.S.
Disassembled and packed into 214 cases, they were loaded onto the French ship Isere to make its way to the U.S. After reaching New York on June 17, 1885, it had to wait another year while the pedestal on which it was to stand was completed, before the formal dedication of the Statue of Liberty finally took place on October 28, 1886.
The dedication was attended by the U.S. President Grover Cleveland, his cabinet members and many other French dignitaries. Bartholdi was there too as his long-awaited project stood over them all, ready to wow millions who would set their sights on her.