Presentation Drawing of The Statue of Liberty Illuminating the World
by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi - Linda Howes Website
Title
Presentation Drawing of The Statue of Liberty Illuminating the World
Artist
Frederic Auguste Bartholdi - Linda Howes Website
Medium
Drawing - Chalk, Charcoal
Description
This is the original drawing of how the Statue of Liberty was going to look, it is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I watched a show on PBS all about the statue. I was really surprised that the original intent was that it was to represent the end of slavery, most people have no idea about this! In this original version she has broken chains in her left hand. In the end there were a little bit of broken chain at her feet.
The following story by Carissa Chesanek, came from here https://www.statueoflibertytour.com/blog/the-original-statue-of-liberty-celebrating-the-end-of-slavery/
It's a little long so I am posting the first part, you can go to the link to read the rest.
The Statue of Liberty is one of the most prominent monuments in the world, but few people know its connection to Civil Rights, slavery, and emancipation. Visitors travel from all over to see the magnificent structure in New York, bringing in roughly 4.5 million people every year. Yet the original meaning behind the Statue of Liberty may not be as well-known as Lady Liberty herself.
The statue came to New York in 1886 as a symbol of liberty and freedom two decades after the American Civil War. Most people associate the monument with immigrants arriving at the New York Harbor. However, many don’t know that the creators behind the statue originally wanted it to honor the end of slavery.
It wasn’t until six years after the statue was unveiled in New York that Ellis Island opened, allowing for millions of immigrants to make their way through the inspection station and into America. The bronze plaque along the pedestal of the statue was then later added in 1903, displaying the recognized line from “The New Colossus,” a poem by Emma Lazarus:
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
In this post, we’ll uncover the original idea behind the Statue of Liberty, including how she first came into being, what her creators wanted her to symbolize relating to slavery and freedom, and the backlash of the final version.
public domain image
Uploaded
July 12th, 2023
Embed
Share
