Creation
Creation of the Statue of Liberty
The people of France § gave the Statue to the people of the United States over one hundred years ago in recognition of the friendship established during the American Revolution. Over the years, the Statue of Liberty has grown to include freedom and democracy as well as this international friendship.
Sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi § was commissioned to design a sculpture with the year 1876 in mind for completion, to commemorate the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence. The Statue was a joint effort between America and France and it was agreed upon that the American people were to build the pedestal, and the French people were responsible for the Statue and its assembly here in the United States. However, lack of funds was a problem on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. In France, public fees, various forms of entertainment, and a lottery were among the methods used to raise funds. In the United States, benefit theatricalevents, art exhibitions, auctions and prize fights assisted in providing needed funds. Meanwhile in France, Bartholdi required the assistance of an engineer to address structural issues associated with designing such as colossal copper sculpture.
Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (§designer of the Eiffel Tower) was commissioned to design the massive iron pylon and secondary skeletal framework which allows the Statue’s copper skin to move independently yet stand upright.
Back in America, fund raising for the pedestal was going particularly Joseph Pulitzer – Used his newspaper to help raise funds for the building of the Statue of Liberty’s Pedestal slowly, so Joseph Pulitzer §(noted for the Pulitzer Prize) opened up the editorial pages of his newspaper, “The World” to support the fund raising effort. 
Pulitzer used his newspaper to criticize both the rich who had failed to finance the pedestal construction and the middle class who were content to rely upon the wealthy to provide the funds. Pulitzer’s campaign of harsh criticism was successful in motivating the people of America to donate.
Financing for the pedestal was completed in August 1885, and pedestal construction was finished in April of 1886. The Statue was completed in France in July, 1884 and arrived in New York Harbor in June of 1885 on board the French frigate “Isere” which transported the Statue of Liberty from France to the United States. In transit, the Statue was reduced to 350 individual pieces and packed in 214 crates. The Statue was re-assembled on her new pedestal in four months time. On October 28th 1886 §, the dedication of the Statue of Liberty took place in front of thousands of spectators. She was a centennial gift ten years late.
Americans today fondly call her “Lady Liberty” or the “Statue of Liberty”, her original name however was given to her by Bartholdi who called her “La liberté éclairant le monde” or “Liberty Enlightening the World.” She also has a unique name given to her by the famous poet Emma Lazarus who calls her “Mother of Exiles” in her poem called “The New Colossus”.
*Special thanks to Laurent for use of pictures of Bartholdi
© Museum of Colmar – C. Kempf Three stages of construction of the Statue of Liberty
© Museum of Colmar – C. Kempf
Statue Measurements & Statistics
* Height from base to torch – 151’1″
* Ground to tip of torch – 305’1″
* Heel to top of head – 111’1″
* Length of hand – 16’5″
* Index finger – 8’0″
* Head from chin to cranium – 17’3″
* Head thickness from ear to ear – 10’0″
* Distance across the eye – 2’6″
* Length of nose – 4’6″
* Length of right arm – 42’0″
* Thickness of right arm – 12’0″
* Thickness of waist – 35’0″
* Width of mouth – 3’0″
* Length of tablet – 23’7″
* Width of tablet – 13’7″
* Thickness of tablet – 2’0″
* Ground to top of pedestal – 154’0″
Statue of Liberty and a persion tool for drawing – visual aid to measurements and specifications of the Statue of Liberty
* Visitors climb 354 steps to reach the crown or 192 steps in order to reach the top of the pedestal. §
* There are 25 windows in the crown which symbolize gemstones found on the earth and the heaven’s rays shining over the world. §
* The seven rays of the Statue’s crown represent the seven seas and continents of the world. §
* The tablet which the Statue holds in her left hand reads (in Roman numerals) “July 4th, 1776.” §
* The total weight of copper in the Statue is 62,000 pounds (31 tons) and the total weight of steel in the Statue is 250,000 pounds (125 tons).
* Total weight of the Statue’s concrete foundation is 54 million pounds (27,000 tons). §
* The copper sheeting of the Statue is 3/32 of an inch thick or 2.37mm.
* Wind sway: winds of 50 miles per hour cause the Statue to sway 3 inches (7.62cm) and the torch sways 5 inches (12.70cm).
President Grover Cleveland – accepted the Statue on behalf of the United States
On October 28th, 1886, President Grover Cleveland § accepted the Statue on behalf of the United States and said in part: “We will not forget that Liberty has here made her home; nor shall her chosen altar be neglected.”
The story of the Statue of Liberty and her island has been one of change. The Statue was placed upon a granite pedestal inside the courtyard of the star-shaped walls of Fort Wood (which had been completed for the War of 1812.) The United States Lighthouse Board had responsibility for the operation of the Statue of Liberty until 1901. After 1901, the care and operation of the Statue was placed under the War Department. A Presidential Proclamation declared Fort Wood (and the Statue of Liberty within it) a National Monument on October 15th, 1924 and the monument’s boundary was set at the outer edge of Fort Wood. In 1933, the care and administration of the National Monument was transferred to the National Park Service. On September 7, 1937, jurisdiction was enlarged to encompass all of Bedloe’s Island and in 1956, the island’s name was changed to Liberty Island. On May 11, 1965, Ellis Island was also transferred to the National Park Service and became part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument.
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