The United States Statue of Liberty is an icon., in addition to being considered a national treasure. It is one of the most recognized statues in the world and every year more than 4.000.000 people appreciate the greatness of this symbol of freedom, inspiration and hope.
If you want to know more about the history and origin of the Statue of Liberty from New York, then we will tell you about it.
What is the story about the Statue of Liberty?
In the year 1865 the French Auguste Bartholdi had the idea of making a gift to the people of the United States from France. This artist was an ardent supporter of the United States and wanted to commemorate the centennial of the country's Declaration of Independence.
In those years there is a close friendship between the two countries and he was moved by the recent abolition of slavery in the United States. This fact encourages ideals of freedom and equality among all citizens from United States. The design of the statue contained a lot of symbolism as you can see.
How was the Statue of Liberty financed?
Funds were raised and numerous private capital contributions were made in order to start creating the Statue of Liberty in France. The French would finance the entire sculpture, while the American people would finance the pedestal on which it stands today on Liberty Island.
To raise funds, the French used different means to raise money, for example: organization of different public events, a lottery or contributions of private capital from some French businessmen. The Americans for their part, to finance the pedestal, held various charity events and art exhibitions.
Despite all the efforts carried out by both nations, gathering enough funds to build the pedestal was slow. In 1885 Joseph Pulitzer decided to publish an advertisement in his New York newspaper, in which he invited all his readers to make donations for the cause. Finally, about 100.000 dollars were raised and thanks to this great idea the pedestal of the statue was built.
The construction of the statue of France was completed in July 1884. This great sculpture stood on the rooftops of Paris awaiting its sea voyage.
In that same year the architect Richard Morris was selected, among many other architects of the time, to design the granite pedestal of the gigantic sculpture.
The journey of the Statue of Liberty
To organize the transatlantic voyage of the Statue of Liberty, the grande dame was reduced to 350 individual pieces and packed in more than 200 boxes.
The ship left France and arrived in New York Harbor on June 17, 1885. The statue remained in pieces until the pedestal work was finally completed in April 1886.
The history of the Statue of Liberty and its island has been one of continuous change. For many centuries the island was important as it was inhabited by native Indians and was later occupied by Dutch settlers. In 1807, the American army obtained a military post on the island and built a fort to protect the port of New York. For this reason, the creation of the Statue of Liberty is a symbol for the island, since many historical events have occurred on it.
The torch
The French artist considered that the torch should not be lit with fire, since this would make the statue in danger over time due to the corrosion that the fire could cause in the original materials.
Therefore, instead A solid gold colored copper sheet has been installed so that it will shine in the daylight. During its first half century the torch has undergone numerous modifications. In fact, when Lady Liberty was unveiled in 1886, two rows of portholes were cut into the copper at the bottom of the torch, to light it from the outside and inside.
A few years later, an 18-inch glass belt replaced the top row of portholes and a pyramidal skylight with red, white and yellow glass was installed on top of the flame.
The changes continued until 1916 when the copper was completely eliminated and replaced by amber colored glass.
In 1931 a new lighting system was installed, which required the making of two holes in the part of the torch, through which several projectors emulating a flame were installed.
Due to rain seepage and corrosion over time, On July 4, 1984, part of the original torch was replaced by a replica.
What other fun facts do you know about the Statue of Liberty in New York?