We [the US and France]
have architect and sculptor
Frederick Auguste Batholdi to thank for this beautiful
lady in more ways then one.
The original
‘life size’ cast of the
Statue of
Liberty stands
amongst the beautiful flower gardens and fountains of
Paris Luxembourg Gardens
[which is home to the French Senate] in Paris. On her pedestal she’s approximately 15 feet high and absolutely ‘magnifique’ among the flowers and trees. This was
architect/sculptor Batholdi’s miniature mold for the American Statue of Liberty.
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Another, yet larger Statue of Liberty is approximately 35 feet in height on her base, and
stands upon a tiny island called
Swan Ally, Paris
[Allée des Cygnes]
in the Seine near
the Grenelle Bridge. This exact Statue of Liberty
replica monument was offered to the French by the
American residents of Paris as a remembrance to commemorate the Centennial
of the French Revolution. It was inaugurated on November 15, 1889 and was placed so that it faced the
Eiffel Tower [so not to have it’s back to the
Élysée Palace].
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Statute of Liberty
in Luxembourg
Gardens, Paris |
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However, it’s creator Bartholdi was most upset that it did not face the New York
location of
the Statue of Liberty. But with persistence, as was his nature, Batholdi
finally achieved getting the statue turned to face
America at the time of the World's Fair in Paris |
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in 1889. What
does the tablet say on the statue of liberty, that the Swan Alley Statue of Liberty holds?
It is inscribed with the dates IV Juillet 1776 et XIV Julliet 1789 [the dates of the US and French revolutions].
Now then, there is America’s Statue of Liberty, on Liberty Island in
New York Harbor, and the most majestic Lady Liberty [as she is affectionately called] of them all. She's over 151 feet tall [on her base she’s more than 305 feet tall] and she’s truly
magnificent! The statue was a gift to America from the French in honor of the
Centennial of American independence. It is one of the most universal symbols of
political freedom and democracy. The statues title is ‘Liberty Enlightening the World’ [but it is known to Americans as ‘The Statue of Liberty’]. The Statue of Liberty annual budget amounted to $13,261,000 for fiscal 2004.
Construction of
the statue began in 1875 in France, and was completed in June
1884. A design patent, for the statue was issued, by the
United States Patent Office, on February 18, 1879. The statue was dismantled and shipped to New York,
arriving on June 19, 1885. The statue then took four
months to rebuild. On Lady Liberty’s tablet is inscribed
“July 4, 1776 in Roman numerals, Day of America's Independence
from Britain: July 4, 1776”, and inscribed upon the base for the
statue is an excerpt from
Emma Lazarus poem
"The New Colossus" which reads as follows [excerpt]:
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The
following partial excerpt from the poem that was written to help raise funds for the
Statue of Liberty
pedestal:
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-lost to me
Emma Lazarus, "The New Colossus," 1883 |
Now that our memories are refreshed about the Statue of Liberty [and her sister
statues], we can only hope that everyone, on both sides of the Atlantic, remembers
what she stands for - Friendship, Freedom and Peace between our two countries, and
symbols for the rest of the world! We've given each other these symbols for these
specific reasons!
We all need to regroup and rethink our thoughts and feelings [both countries'
governments as well as their people] and put all ill will behind us! These symbols
reflect their true intents. I think it’s absurd for our two countries to be at such odds,
with such binding ties as the ‘Statue of Liberty’! Let's really celebrate our
Independence days, and lay the bitterness to rest!
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