The Rise of the Statue of Liberty
Journey through the 1886 construction of the Statue of Liberty and the master craftsmanship required to bring this American symbol to life
Statue of Liberty (front view looking north) (1984) by Jet LoweOriginal Source: National Park Service, Heritage Documentation Programs
Statue of Liberty
For many Americans, the Statue represents the possibilities and traditions of the United States. To others, it is a universal symbol of the continuing quest for liberty. From the patriot to the refugee, the dissident to the disenfranchised, many who seek liberty continue to look to the Statue.
Édouard René de Laboulaye
This French political thinker and abolitionist conceived the idea for a statue to honor liberty, affirm the historical French-American alliance, and celebrate the centennial of US independence. Intended, in part, to also celebrate the abolition of slavery in the United States.
Sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi
Bartholdi spent years on his design, layering deep symbolism: the goddess Libertas, a sunburst for enlightenment, a "July 4, 1776" tablet for independence, broken chains signifying the emancipation of the enslaved, and a torch to embody its name: Liberty Enlightening the World.
“My only ambition has been to engrave my name at the feet of great men and in the service of grand ideas.” — Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi
From 1870 to 1875, Bartholdi worked on the Statue’s form. He developed his final design through small working models like this. The last step in Bartholdi’s design process was creating his modèle d’étude, or study model.
Modèle D’étude: Study Model
Completed in 1875, this original four-foot model represents Bartholdi’s final design and was used as the template for the full-size statue.
Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel (1832–1923)
Bartholdi’s hired Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, one of France’s most innovative engineers, to develop the Statue’s construction plan. Hailed as a bridge between art and engineering, the Statue was recognized as one of the greatest technical achievements of the 1800s.
Workmen constructing the Statue of Liberty, hammering copper, with left hand and head in background, at the Gaget, Gauthier & Co. workshop in Paris, 1881-1883 (1883) by Attributed to Pierre PetitOriginal Source: National Park Service, Statue of Liberty National Monument
Constructing the Statue
Over 60 craftsmen at the renowned metalworking firm Gaget, Gauthier & Compagnie oversaw the Statue’s creation.
New York - Preparing the Statue of "liberty" on Bedloe's Island, for the formal unvailing [sic] on October 28th - Present condition of the work / from a sketch by a staff artist. (October 9, 1886) by Frank Leslie’s Illustrated NewspaperOriginal Source: https://www.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/statue_liberty/index.html
Bartholdi supervised all aspects of construction, which involved traditional techniques and new technologies.
Construction Workers (ca. 1884 – 1886)Original Source: National Park Service, Statue of Liberty National Monument
A Legacy of Labor
The Statue of Liberty was built largely by recent immigrants who risked their safety to assemble the monument. In a powerful irony, these workers were physically constructing the very icon that would soon welcome millions of others to their new home in America.
New York City - the grand demonstration on "Liberty Day," October 28th - the military and civic procession passing down lower Broadway, with the naval pageant in the distance (November 6, 1886) by Frank Leslie’s Illustrated NewspaperOriginal Source: National Park Service, Statue of Liberty National Monument
Liberty Day
Unveiled on Oct. 28, 1886, the Statue of Liberty drew over a million spectators to NYC. Yet, it wasn't universally celebrated: suffragists protested a female icon representing freedom when women lacked the vote, and Black journalists questioned its promise post-Reconstruction.
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