A statue of a pale lady stands against the shadows of New York skyline holding a torch in one hand with an arm raised and clutching a nook close to her breast. Her face is etched with an expression of hope and she faces towards the Atlantic Ocean. This statue of the lady is the ever famous 'Statue of Liberty'. It is a symbol of hope and peace that was gifted by the French to the American people.
France and the Unites States had developed a formidable friendship during the American Revolution because the French had supported Americans against the British rule. This historical event led France to develop a respect for America's success with establishing democracy.
After a hundred years, this admiration became a topic for a small group of French intellectuals at a party hosted by a well known personality Edouard Rene Lefebvre de Laboulaye. This group comprised of individuals who were opposed to the regime of Napoleon III.
The talk was focused on close ties between France and America. There was sympathy and admiration in the voices of the guests. Laboulaye observed this sympathy between the two nations and called them the two sisters. Looking forward towards the America's independence celebrations, Laboulaye thought of an idea to present US with a lasting memorial. One of the guest, Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi was impressed with Laboulaye's idea. He was a sculptor and was deeply interested to create the masterpiece.
Success in grand projects encouraged Bartholdi to create the Statue of Liberty's colossal size. He had received his first commission at an early age for creating the first public monument which was a statue of General Jean Rapp. The statue was his claim of fame.
The Neoclassical art of the 19th century had influenced the appearance of the Statue of Liberty. Bartholdi had patterned her in memory of the goddess of freedom called Libertas. He learned the real meaning of 'liberty' from his past experience of Franco-Prussian war.
Partially as a propaganda to further the cause of those seeking to create a French Republic, Laboulaye suggested Bartholdi to travel to America. Equipped with letters of introduction from Laboulaye to some of America's influential men, he sailed to New York in 1871.
Bartholdi became successful in time and work on the project started. Richard Morris Hunt was the architect for the 89 foot high pedestal. The engineer for the statue was Alexandre Gustave Eiffel of the famed Eiffel Tower. General Charles P. Stone was responsible for the construction of the entire project. Gaget, Gauthier and Company in France served as foundry for the sculpture.
Statue of Liberty is the first statue that visitors can climb inside with a steel ladder to the balcony around the torch. The head of the statue is made of copper, its foundation has 24,000 tons of concrete which was the largest poured at that time. The height of the statue is 52 feet, 10 inches. The bottom measures 91 feet and the top measures 65 feet. The Statue of Liberty was declared as a a national monument by President Calvin Coolidge in October 1924. The National Park Service finally took over its maintenance and administration in 1933.
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