Who built the Statue of Liberty…
Inspired by Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom, widely worshiped by slaves in ancient Rome, the colossal neoclassical symbol of America began its adventure in France, on April 21, 1865. It was to celebrate the Abolition of slavery by President Lincoln, and to seal the strong alliance between the two countries. Sculptor August Bartholdi was already working on a statue to overlook the mouth of the Suez canal, agreed to change the destination to New York Harbor. America’s most famous immigrant, the Statue of Liberty, was constructed in Paris starting in 1883, then taken apart and shipped in crates to America in several pieces, then assembled on the completed pedestal on what was then called Bedloe’s Island.
The financing of Lady Liberty sprung out of the pockets of the French populace – a Franc at a time, or less – displaying the Lady’s body parts from one public exhibit in Paris to another for a period of five years. And not just for one, but two statues. The original destined for New York Harbor; the other to overlook the River Seine in Paris.
The Lady had a rough journey, crossing the Atlantic in pieces and assembled in the U.S., which then required the financial support of the American people. 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 by lack of funds. Publisher Joseph Pulitzer, of the New York World, started a drive for donations to finish the project and attracted more than 120,000 contributors, most of whom gave less than a dollar. The statue remained in France until funds were raised for the pedestal by The U.S. and was then disassembled for her ocean voyage.
The United States gave the original replica to France in 1889 financed by U.S. citizens living in Paris to celebrate the French Revolutions three years after the main statue was inaugurated in New York. The statue is near the Grenelle Bridge on the ile aux Cygnes. It is 11.5 metres high and weigh 14 tons. It was first facing the Eiffel tower but was turned towards the east to face her sister in New York.