The Statue of Liberty

Description

Frenchman Edouard de Laboulaye first proposed the idea of a monument for the United States in 1865. Ten years later sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was commissioned to design a sculpture with 1876 in mind for completion, to commemorate the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence. The Statue was named "Liberty Enlightening the World" and was a joint effort between America and France. The Statue was completed in France in July 1884 and arrived in New York Harbor in June 1885. After almost a century, weather, pollution, and sightseeing left Lady Liberty's torch in need of replacement and her crown's rays in need of strengthening. An army of architects, historians, engineers, and almost 1,000 laborers embarked on the project. On July 5, 1986, the newly restored Statue reopened to the public during Liberty Weekend, a gala four-day event celebrating the restoration. Fireworks filled the night skies; tall ships flocked the Harbor. "Liberty Weekend," attended by President Reagan and President Francois Mitterand of France, was broadcast to 1.5 billion people in 51 countries. The Foundation, the National Park Service, and the American people had launched the most successful public-private partnership in the history of the United States. A must-have for the armchair traveler, student of architecture, native New Yorker, or for anyone who is inspired by our Lady Liberty.

The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation (SOLEIF) was founded in 1982 and charged with raising funds for the restoration of the Statue and of Ellis Island. The foundation has riased over $700 million to date from private ctizens and has restored the statue, the Ellis Island complex and now is opening the Statue of Liberty Museum. Going by the title of the Godmother of the Statue of Liberty, fashion icon Diane von Furstenberg is the head fundraiser for the Statue of Liberty Museum raising over 100 million dollars. By 1976, von Furstenberg had sold over a million wrap dresses and was featured on the cover of Newsweek. In 2012, she was named the most powerful woman in fashion by Forbes magazine. Robert Belot is a university professor at Universite Jean Monnet Saint-Etienne, and the author of The Statue of Liberty: in Search of a Secret (French language publication).

"A new Statue of Liberty museum opened in New York Harbor, but you don't have to take a ferry to see Lady Liberty." - USA Today "Books We Love: The Statue of Liberty: The Monumental Dream (Rizzoli Electa), by Robert Belot with a preface by Diane von Furstenberg, celebrates Lady Liberty with gorgeous photos and a telling of her story, just in time for the opening of the new Statue of Liberty Museum." - Parade Magazine