The Inspiring Tale of the Statue of Liberty
The world has several iconic monuments that stand out as significant landmarks and encapsulate the history and culture of a nation or a region. But only some of them get elevated to the status of World Heritage sites.
The Statue of Liberty National Monument that adorns the mouth of the New York Harbour is such a shining example. As the ‘Lady of Liberty’ celebrates the 122nd anniversary of her birth today, October 28, it gives us an opportunity to look at the loving gift that the people of France made to the United States in appreciation of the liberty and freedom that both the nations cherished and wished to hold up as an example to the whole world.
The original idea to establish such a monument rose in the mind of Edouard Rene Lefebvre de Laboulaye, a scholar, jurist, abolitionist and political leader who thought: “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if people in France gave the United States a great monument as a lasting memorial to independence and human liberty?” It was a concept that readily appealed to his friends and contemporaries.
They conceived it as a Statue of Liberty patterned after the goddess, Libertas, the Roman personification of freedom. The famous sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was commissioned to design it with the year 1876 in mind for completion, to coincide with the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence.
Bartholdi took up the challenge enthusiastically. A trip to Egypt that brought him face to face with the majestic grandeur of the Pyramids inspired him to think really big.
The project was envisaged as a joint effort between America and France. It was agreed upon that the American people would build the pedestal while the French would be responsible for the Statue in copper and its assembly in the United State. Bartholdi acquired the assistance of Alexandre Gustave Eiffel to design the massive iron pylon and secondary skeletal framework.
It was undoubtedly a colossal project and fund raising was a formidable challenge. In France, public fees, various forms of entertainment, and a lottery were among the methods used to generate funds.
In the United States, theatrical events, art exhibitions, auctions and prize fights were organised. But the process was rather slow and unsatisfactory. Then came the dynamic and effective contribution of Joseph Pulitzer, who used the editorial pages of his newspaper, The World to step up the tempo. On his part, Bartholdi not only sculpted the masterpiece but also travelled to America to promote the project and raise funds by exhibiting the sketch and a scale model.
The Statue was completed in France in July, 1884 and arrived at the New York Harbour in June 1885. In transit, the Statue was dismantled into 350 individual pieces and packed in 214 crates. The pedestal, designed by Richard Morris Hunt, was ready by April 1886. The Statue was re-assembled on the pedestal in four months time. And finally on October 28th 1886 President Grover Cleveland dedicated the Statue to the nation and the world in the presence of thousands of spectators. No one really minded that the centennial gift had come ten years late.
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