Rare photos of the Statue of Liberty under construction in 1883

Daily News ^ | 07/12/2013

[Sopater]

Lady Liberty's head in Paris park, 1883



Before Lady Liberty was standing tall, she had to be assembled piece by piece. The beaming gift, dedicated in 1886 and designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, came a long way from France to the United States. America's most famous immigrant, The Statue of Liberty, was constructed in Paris starting in 1883, then taken apart and shipped to America in pieces. Here, back in 1883, the Statue of Liberty's head was displayed in a park in Paris. Check out more of Lady Liberty's limbs as they were constructed in the 1800s before coming together to become one of America's most iconic landmarks ...

[Sopater]

Statue of Liberty construction, 1984 & 1985 In 1984 Lady Liberty's torch was lowered for repairs. The Statue's current torch, which is a copper flame covered in 24K gold, was completed in 1986. It's seen here under construction in 1984 and 1985.

[sauropod]

Thank you for posting this.

‘Pod.

[Nailbiter]

statue ping

[lwd]

Those have to be from the overhaul that occured in the late 1980s or early 1990s.

[BlueStateRightist]

Certainly, the Marxist resents flags AND statues that symbolize liberty. So he’ll be returning this Imperialist Symbol of Western Oppression back to its makers by the end of his term.

[beebuster2000]

can someone post a snap of the last scene of planet of the apes w charlton heston?

[Sopater]

[tx_eggman]

[Cyber Liberty]

Deeelighted!

[IamConservative]

Anyone know how it was constructed? Cast or formed?

It has a steel infrastructure and the exterior is copper.

[Gay State Conservative]

Some time ago (before 9/11) I went up to the crown of the Statue.Amazing,amazing,amazing.A tough climb,not for the faint of heart (literally or figuratively).It was a windy day and you could feel it sway...a bit unnerving to me.It wasn't until a few years ago that I realized that a ride on the Staten Island Ferry gives one a breathtaking view of the Statue.To anyone who hasn't done both of those things I recommend them highly.

[a fool in paradise]

This looks shooped.

[Sopater]

It’s from the 1968 Planet of the Apes movie.

[Gandalf_The_Gray]

Um... confused. Because that sure as hell looks like the twin towers in the background.

Good eye!

That is indeed the twin towers. The copper skin on the statue was held in place by iron straps that held the parts in place over an armature of structural steel (visible in some of the pre-assembly pictures). The combination of iron and copper was getting dangerously corroded after nearly 100 years of exposure to the salt air and moisture. It was decided to refurbish the statue in honor of it's 100 birthday.

My wife an I visited family in the area in the summer 1985 and my BIL took us on a tour of Manhattan Island with a stop at Battery Park. It was a miserable rainy/drizzly/foggy day and you could barely see Liberty Island. The statue was completely surrounded by scaffolding which further obscured the view. I had an 800mm lens and could see enough to note that the torch was not yet reattached.

If you look closely at the two photographs separated by 100 years you may note that the original torch was made up of glass held by thin strips of metal in the manner of a Tiffany lamp. Whereas the replacement torch is a sheet metal construction, clad with gold leaf, and illuminated with external flood lights. The reason for the change was the old design leaked rainwater copiously and resultant rusting put the arm structure in danger of falling off. That was why the torch was closed to visitors for a number of years prior to the refurbishing.

Regards,
GtG

PS If you look closely, that's me and the Mrs. waving back at you from Battery Park!

[beebuster2000]

thanks man

[Fair Paul]

Great pictures, is Obama going to send her back to France?