Lady Liberty - How Sweet She is!

The people of France gave the Statue to the people of the United States over one hundred years ago in recognition of a friendship established during the American Revolution. Over the years, the meanings of the Statue have grown until she has become an international icon of freedom and liberty, the most recognizable symbol of democracy in the world.

Sculptor, Bartholdi named it "Statue of Liberty Liberty Enlightening the World", and fashioned her in the style of Greco-Roman art. He used a technique called repousse to create her copper skin - hammering out each piece of copper until it was only 3/32 of an inch thick. Bartholdi then recruited French engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel to build a skeleton for his statue. Eiffel designed a massive iron pylon and secondary skeletal framework which allows the Statue's copper skin to move independently- yet stand upright. This flexibility is needed to allow the Statue to sway in the sometimes violent harbor winds.

Did You Know?
The Statue of Liberty's face was said to be modeled after the sculptor's mother, Charlotte. This colossal statuary follows design going back to ancient Greek and Roman civilizations.