Statue of Liberty
| Statue of Liberty Liberty Enlightening the World |
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| Location |
Liberty Island Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States |
| Coordinates | 40°41′21″N 74°2′40″W / 40.68917°N 74.04444°WCoordinates: 40°41′21″N 74°2′40″W / 40.68917°N 74.04444°W |
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| Dedicated | October 28, 1886 |
| Restored | 1938, 1984–1986, 2011–2012 |
| Sculptor | Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi |
| Visitors | 3.2 million (in 2009) |
| Governing body | U.S. National Park Service |
| Website | Statue of Liberty National Monument |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, vi |
| Designated | 1984 (8th session) |
| Reference no. | 307 |
| State Party | United States |
| Region | Europe and North America |
| Designated | October 15, 1924 |
| Designated by | President Calvin Coolidge |
| Official name: Statue of Liberty National Monument, Ellis Island and Liberty Island | |
| Designated | October 15, 1966 |
| Reference no. | 66000058 |
| Designated | May 27, 1971 |
| Reference no. | 1535 |
| Type | Individual |
| Designated | September 14, 1976 |
 Location of Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor in New York City
Location of Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor in New York City
Location of Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor in New York City
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The Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World; French: La Liberté éclairant le monde) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City, in the United States. The copper statue, a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States, was designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and built by Gustave Eiffel. The statue was dedicated on October 28, 1886.
The Statue of Liberty is a robed female figure representing Libertas, the Roman goddess. She holds a torch above her head, and in her left arm carries a tabula ansata (a tablet evoking the law) inscribed "July 4, 1776", the date of the American Declaration of Independence. A broken chain lies at her feet. The statue became an icon of freedom and of the United States, and was a welcoming sight to immigrants arriving from abroad.
Bartholdi was inspired by French law professor and politician Édouard René de Laboulaye, who is said to have commented in 1865 that any monument raised to American independence would properly be a joint project of the French and American peoples. Due to the post-war instability in France, work on the statue did not commence until the early 1870s. In 1875, Laboulaye proposed that the French finance the statue and the Americans would provide the site and build the pedestal. Bartholdi completed the head and the torch-bearing arm before the statue was fully designed, and these pieces were exhibited for publicity at international expositions.
The torch-bearing arm was displayed at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876, and in Madison Square Park in Manhattan from 1876 to 1882. Fundraising proved difficult, especially for the Americans, and by 1885 work on the pedestal was threatened due to lack of funds. Publisher Joseph Pulitzer of the New York World started a drive for donations to complete the project that attracted more than 120,000 contributors, most of whom gave less than a dollar. The statue was constructed in France, shipped overseas in crates, and assembled on the completed pedestal on what was then called Bedloe's Island. The statue's completion was marked by New York's first ticker-tape parade and a dedication ceremony presided over by President Grover Cleveland.
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