Lady Liberty, annotated

“Liberty Enlightening the World” is the formal name of the famous sculpture Frederic Bartholdi designed. You know her as the Statue of Liberty.

You probably also know her basic story: She was a gift from France in commemoration of our Independence Day centennial.

But like all great stories, Lady Liberty’s isn’t quite that simple. Just in time for this year’s July 4 celebration, here are some story-behind-the-story details.

SHE WAS FASHIONABLY LATE

It took more than 20 years before the seedling idea of the statue became a part of the New York City skyline, due in large part to fundraising woes on both sides of the Atlantic (France was to pay for the statue, with the U.S. footing the bill for the pedestal).

Her grand opening celebration in October of 1886 only missed the target timeline—July 4, 1876—by a decade.

MEET EDOUARD DE

LABOULAYE, ADMIRER

OF AMERICA

In addition to being a French jurist and author, Laboulaye was also an avid U.S. history buff, a constitutional scholar, an orator who spoke eloquently of American liberty, and an ardent abolitionist.

Specifically, he was a careful observer of the Civil War, and at its conclusion in 1865 he conceived the idea of a monument celebrating liberty as the perfect gift for his country to present to the reunified United States.

BARTHOLDI’S FICKLE ROBED

GODDESS

Bartholdi had previously approached Egypt with the idea of a colossal neoclassical sculpture at the entryway of the Suez Canal.

“Egypt Carrying the Light to Asia” was the name of his proposed statue, which depicted a robed female hoisting a torch, standing atop a large pedestal. The Egyptians balked at the cost, however.

When his friend Laboulaye described his idea for America, the rejected Arab peasant figure was quickly recycled to personify Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom. Legend has it that Lady Liberty’s stern visage was based on Bartholdi’s mother’s face, while his wife served as the model for the Statue’s torso and arms.

LADY LIBERTY DEBUTED TWICE

Construction on the statue began in 1876, in France. As various assemblies were completed, they were sometimes put on display to assist with fundraising. The arm holding the torch was displayed at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, for instance. The statue as a whole was first completed in Paris, and Lady Liberty was presented in full regalia to the U.S. minister there on July 4, 1884. It was then disassembled and put on a French Navy ship bound for New York Harbor, where its 200 crates would wait until the pedestal was finished before it could be rebuilt in 1886.

An interesting side note to the final construction: The supporting iron framework for the copper-skin statue was designed by another Frenchman—a fellow named Gustave Eiffel.

SYMBOLISM OF THE BROKEN

SHACKLE

Near the sandaled feet of the statue lie a few links from a severed chain and a broken shackle. While this element is hardly visible, except from above, it is a prominent feature in terms of the statue’s original purpose. Laboulaye wanted his liberty monument to consecrate the victory of freedom for slaves on American soil. Initial drawings depicted the statue holding a set of broken shackles as a tribute to abolition—and the full realization of American liberty—finally achieved.

As time passed and memories of the Civil War faded, however, the chains literally fell away as a substantive visual, along with the meaning behind them.

Laboulaye died in 1883, without seeing his grand dream rise to its full glory in America, or fulfill its noble intent.

CROWDFUNDING PAID FOR

PEDESTAL

A committee to raise money fell short of the $250,000 goal, and neither the state of New York nor Congress were willing to use tax dollars to make up the difference. Other cities spoke up, offering to pay for the pedestal in exchange for relocation.

Then Joseph Pulitzer launched an innovative campaign on the front page of The New York World: He would print the name of every donor in the paper, no matter how small.

In six months, the necessary $100,000 was raised with contributions from more than 120,000 people.

SONNET THAT CHANGED

EVERYTHING

Emma Lazarus was a well-connected, prolific writer from a wealthy family, and an activist for Jewish refugees. When asked to contribute a poem for an auction of art and literary works to raise money for the statue, she initially declined: “I don’t write on command.”

A friend convinced her that Lady Liberty would be the first thing immigrants saw coming to America, and in that context of refuge, Lazarus consented.

There’s no record of how much (or how little) money “The New Colossus” brought at auction, but the poem played no significant role at the opening. It wasn’t read aloud or highlighted in any way.

Lazarus died in 1887; the plaque with her poem wasn’t placed on the pedestal until 1903. Yet her powerful 14 lines shifted forever the popular perspective on the statue. Lady Liberty became the Mother of Exiles, rather than the triumphant goddess of freedom over slavery Laboulaye imagined.