(The Great Bartholdi Statue: Liberty Enlightening the World, 1886 source)

Happy Birthday, Statue of Liberty! The Statue of Liberty, designed by French sculptor Frédéric Bartholdi, was a gift from France and took 21 years from its conception (1865) to its completion in New York Harbor. After years of struggling to raise the money for the pedestal (France required the US would provide), the statue finally made its way to America on June 17, 1885 and by April of 1886, the pedestal was complete and construction began placing Lady Liberty on her outlook from Bedloe’s Island. The Statue of Liberty opened on October 28, 1886 with a dedication ceremony led by President Grover Cleveland and a parade that traveled from Madison Square to the southern tip of the Manhattan!

Today is also another special day for The Statue of Liberty:  today, the statue reopened exactly one year after closing due to the damage caused from Hurricane Sandy!  In honor of its 127th birthday and reopening, I put together some old photos and illustrations of The Statue of Liberty under construction and at its unveiling.  Click on images to enlarge.

[Assemblage of the Statue of Liberty in Paris, showing the bottom half of the statue erect under scaffolding, the head and torch at its feet- 1883 source]
 

[Head of the Statue of Liberty on display in a park in Paris- 1883 source]

[Construction of the skeleton and plaster surface of the left arm and hand of the Statue of Liberty- 1883 source]

[Statue of Liberty Under Construction source]

[Pedestal for Bartholdi's Statue of Liberty on Bedlow's Island, New York Harbor- 1885 source]

[Statue Of Liberty Dedication Ceremony, NYC- 1886 source]

[Unveiling The Statue of Liberty- 1886 source]

[The Statue of Liberty- 1894 source]