Paris, France
(Albert Fernique / Library of Congress)
The idea for the Statue of Liberty was Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi’s. The Parisian sculptor wanted to create a gift for the US nation in the wake of the abolition of slavery, referenced in the broken chain at the feet of the statue.
Construction commenced in 1877, and Bartholdi brought in engineer Gustave Eiffel to help with the statue’s inner framework. In 1885, the completed statue was shipped to America, assembled and dedicated the following year.
‘A model was made just one-sixteenth the size of the contemplated statue. It was enlarged to one-fourth the size. After this came the full-size model. After this came wooden frames, upon which plaster was put. After this came the work of the French carpenters. After this came the sheets of copper, beaten on the inside with wooden mallets.’
Bartholdi souvenir: a sketch of the colossal statue presented by France to the United States, 1886
