A NEW FLAME
The torch is one of the statue’s most recognisable elements, but the current flames are not those installed in 1886. Bartholdi’s design called for a copper flame coated in a layer of gold leaf, illuminated by a series of lights around the balcony to bring the flames to life. Unfortunately, Bartholdi’s ideas for the torch were abandoned due to fears its bright light might blind passing pilots. After exploring several options for how the torch should be built and used – it was even proposed that the statue could be utilised as a lighthouse at one time – it was created out of multiple panes of glass with a bright bulb within. In 1984 enthusiasm for Bartholdi’s original designs was re-ignited following restorations, and the torch was replaced with a 24-karat-coated flame illuminated by a ring of floodlights. The statue’s original torch now sits inside the Statue of Liberty Museum.