The Statue of Liberty, whose official name is Liberty Enlightening the World, is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. The copper statue, designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, a French sculptor, was dedicated on October 28, 1886. It was a gift to the US from the people of France.
The statue is of a robed female figure representing Libertas, the Roman goddess, who bears a torch and a tablet evoking the law upon which is inscribed the date of the American Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.
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The statue was constructed in France, shipped to America in crates, and assembled on the completed pedestal on what was then called Bedloe's Island.
The statue's pedestal, designed by American architect Richard Morris Hunt, covers 47 square meters. From the base of the pedestal to the tip of torch, the statue is 93 meters tall. It weighs 229 tons, has a 10.6-meter waist, and a mouth 91 centimeters wide. The arm holding the torch is 12.8 meters long.
A broken chain lies at Liberty’s feet, representing the overthrow of a brutal government; the left arm holds the US Declaration of Independence; and on the head of the statue is a crown with seven points.
Each point represents the light of freedom as it shines on the seven seas and seven continents. There are two interior spiral staircases, to make it easier for visitors to reach the observation point in the crown, which is at the height of a 12-storey building.
Since its inauguration, the Statue of Liberty has been frequently mentioned in socio-economic and cultural discussions, and has appeared on postage stamps, coins, and commemorative items. The images of the statue’s torch appear on the ten-dollar bill which is being circulated today.
In 1997, the statue was featured on uncirculated coins called American Platinum Eagles.
