The Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty , officially titled Liberty Enlightening the World, dedicated on October 28, 1886, is a monument commemorating the centenary of the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence, given to the United States by the people of France to represent the friendship between the two countries established during the American rebellion. It represents a woman wearing a stola, a radiant crown and sandals, trample a broken chain, transport a torch in her raised right hand.

Standing on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, it welcomes visitors, immigrants, and recurring Americans traveling by ship. Frederic Auguste Bartholdi sculpted the figure and obtained a U.S. patent for its structure. Maurice Koechlin chief engineer of Gustave Eiffel's engineering company and designer of the Eiffel Tower engineered the interior structure. The pedestal was intended by architect Richard Morris Hunt. Eugene Viollet-le-Duc was responsible for the option of copper in the statue's construction, and for the adoption of the repousse technique, where a malleable metal is hammer on the reverse side.


The statue is made of a covering of pure copper, hung on a framework of steel with the exception of the flame of the torch, which is coated in gold leaf. It stands atop a rectangular stonework base with a foundation in the shape of an irregular eleven-pointed star. The statue is 151 ft (46 m) tall, but with the base and foundation, it is 305 ft (93 m) tall.The Statue of Liberty is one of the most familiar symbols in the world. For many years it was one of the first glimpses of the United States for millions of immigrants and guests after ocean voyages from around the world.