On this day 125 years ago the Statue of Liberty, gifted to America by the people of France in recognition of the friendship established during the American Revolution, was dedicated.
The statue was meant to be a lasting memorial to independence and show that the French government was dedicated to the idea of human liberty. The Statue of Liberty was designed by sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi. He modelled it after goddess Libertas, the Roman personification of freedom. Bartholdi was so struck by the size and majesty of the Pyramids and the Sphinx that he saw on a trip to Egypt that he wanted to make his statue colossal.
He sought the help of famous engineer Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, already known for his iron railroad bridges and later celebrated for the Eiffel Tower, to design the massive iron pylon and secondary skeletal framework that allows the statue’s copper skin to move independently yet stand upright. It was the first statue one could climb inside.
Since the project was deemed expensive, it was decided the cost be shared. France would pay for the statue while America would pay for its pedestal and foundation. A fund-raising committee, the Franco-American Union, was formed with members from both nations. In France, public fees, various forms of entertainment and a lottery were among the methods used to raise funds while the Americans used theatrical events, art exhibitions, auctions and prize fights.
Enough was collected to begin work on the statue but the statue couldn’t be completed in time for America’s 100th anniversary. In America, fundraising for the pedestal was going particularly slow. It took the intervention of Joseph Pulitzer and the power of the media to make a difference.
Pulitzer opened up the editorial pages of his newspaper, The World, to support the fundraising efforts. He criticised the rich who failed to finance the pedestal construction and the middle class who were content to rely upon the wealthy to provide funds. Pulitzer’s campaign of harsh criticism was successful in motivating people to donate.
In transit, the statue was reduced to 350 individual pieces and packed in 214 crates. It took four months to re-assemble her on her new pedestal. On October 28, 1886, the dedication of the Statue of Liberty took place in front of thousands of spectators. She was a centennial gift 10 years late.