The Statue of Liberty:
Symbol of an Ideal
Lady Liberty‘s
French Promoters
Laboulaye
The visionary politician
Bartholdi
The Sculptor
The Presentation
For Bartholdi, presentation was everything. Liberty was not to be lost in
Some city park. She was to be the tallest monument in modern times and
would have her own island. All ships coming to the busy Port of New York
would pass in front of Liberty‘s view.
“I can never forget the day I
Passed in front of the grand lady
Welcoming me to my new
home.”
---Polish Immigrant
Liberty‘s position, facing out to sea, was both part of Bartholdi‘s
presentation as well as the statue‘s symbolism. He felt that America was to
be a beacon of hope for the rest of the world and her mission was to be the
great protector of liberty. Lady Liberty faced away from land, looking
outward toward the rest of the world, symbolizing her charity. America was
not to withhold her goodness and blessings from the rest of the world.
Her status as the tallest
monument in the world was
finally challenged during the Cold
War era when the Soviet Union
built ―Mother Russia.‖
Below –Liberty is compared in
size to Mother Russia and the
ancient colossus of Rhodes.
The Symbolism
The Mother Symbol
Throughout the development
years Bartholdi‘s monument saw
several changes.
Early designs showed Liberty
holding a sword in one hand and
broken chains in the other. This
fierce warrior image was
eventually changed as he learned
more of the important subject he
was trying To represent.
A non threatening Mother image
was eventually settled on.
Charlotte Bartholdi
Lady Liberty (Mother of Exiles)
Although Bartholdi never denied nor confirmed it, most
agree he used his own mother as the model for Lady
Liberty‘s face. Many believe that using his mother, whom
he adored, met this desire to present a loving, motherly
image in his monument.
A symbol for all Time
Because the statue was to represent
an ageless idea, her dress needed to
symbolize a timeless quality as well.
Her torch, held high to light the way to
a new life, evokes feelings of welcome
& assistance. There is also the sense
of one coming from a location or
attitude of darkness into the hope of a
better place.
What powerful symbol is on display here?
In this model of the
Statue, her broken
Chains can be more
easily seen.
Lady Liberty appears to
be walking, not standing,
upon the thrown off
chains of bondage &
tyranny. She is moving
forward with loving
confidence.
The head ware of seven spikes
represents intelligence and the
―new ideas‖ or ancient principles of
liberty emanating forth from America
to bless the Inhabitants of the seven
continents & seven seas of the earth.
The freedom to think and express
oneself coupled with the opportunity
for intellectual and property
ownership is one of the great
blessings of liberty for the whole
world.
The Modern Day Moses
Here Bartholdi beautifully connects the
ancient to the new.
1. Lady Liberty carefully cradles in
her arm a modern tablet just as
Moses had cradled his ancient
―Tables of the Law‖
2. The religious theme continues with
the lettering. Instead of engraved
lettering, the tablet employed
raised lettering, giving one the
sense that these characters were
actually growing out of or emerging
from the tablet. The characters
refer to a modern date yet are
partially written in ancient Roman
numerals. The modern day
Declaration of Independence
appears to be an outgrowth of the
ancient ―Tables of the Law‖ .
The tablet symbolism
continues:
The tablet lies at the heart of all Liberty‘s
symbols. It is the core symbol—giving
power and purpose to all others and is
actually a composite of several symbols.
The tablet ‗s shape was one of the last
changes Bartholdi made to his monument.
It evolved from the universally used "Ten
Commandments‖ shape toward a keystone
shaped tablet . This ―last minute‖ change
could have been borrowed from the
American founding period.
The date symbol makes this a uniquely
American monument. Liberty would make
no sense anywhere else in the world.
TheTPennsylvania Connection
A wedge or keystone locks all other pieces of an
arch into place. It is that part of an arch that all
other parts depend upon.
The Pennsylvania
Railroad, then the
largest company in the
United States, used the
keystone as part of
their company‘s logo.
Pennsylvania‘s nickname as the ―Keystone
State‖ is of uncertain origin yet it was in use
shortly after the founding of America. Several
local businesses even adopted the keystone for
their logo.
What does the keystone state have to do with
the Statue of Liberty? Could the Keystone
nickname have something to do with an event
and a document?
Bartholdi may have been making this connection
in his Statue of Liberty monument.
Another Pennsylvania based company using
the famous keystone shape is the H J Heinz
company.
Have you made the keystone connection yet?
Why would Pennsylvanians wish to call their
state the Keystone state? Did they think they
were better, bigger, or more important that the
other states? The other states didn‘t seem to
mind this title. Why did Bartholdi change his
tablet to that of a keystone tablet? Is there a
Connection or is it just coincidence?
The Big Reminder Gift
America‘s Civil War & Statue of Liberty
Connection
At a dinner party just outside Paris, France, the Idea for such a
monument was conceived. It was just weeks after the close of the
American Civil War. The idea, however, would take over 20 years to
become a reality.
Liberty‘s bust on display
in Paris.
The head was use to
raise funds for the
monument
Liberty‘s Arm & torch on
display at Madison Square
Park in New York
The arm was sent to New
York to help raise funds for
her pedestal.
Liberty rises above the
neighboring buildings in the
outskirts of Paris, France
Liberty‘s Champion
When fundraising collapsed in America, Pulitzer
Used his newspaper to rally those who truly cared.
The response from the people in America was very
gratifying. What had not happened in seven long
years of fundraising was now accomplished in just
4 months.
Joseph Pulitzer
The Excess Funds
At the end of the American fundraising
efforts enough money was left over
To construct this beautiful trophy. It
was presented to Bartholdi in behalf of
a grateful nation.
Ellis Island, to the right of center, opened a few years after the statue
Was dedicated . Today Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty have become forever
linked with the creation of the Statue of Liberty National Monument.