The Statue of Liberty was dedicated 10-28-1886 making her today 150 years old. The robed female figure represents Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom. The "book" in her left arm represents a "tabula ansata" or tablet of laws and is inscribed 7-4-1776 the day the Declaration of Independence was signed. There is a broken chain at her feet (which I've never noticed.)
She was created by sculpture Frederic Bartholdi and he was inspired by Edouard de Laboulaye who said that any monument to French-American friendship should be a joint project. A deal was cut: the frogs would pay for and provide the statue, the U.S. would provide the pedestal and the site for all of this.
Working ahead of hmself, Bartholdi made the head and torch-bearing arm first and then in a PR gesture, the arm was sent to the Centennial Exposition of 1876 and to Madison Square Park from 1876 to 1883.
Americans were having difficulty raising the money to buy the site (Bedloe's Island) and provide the pedestal until publisher Joseph Pulitzer (yeah, that one) started a fund. Over 120,000 donations were received, but sadly most were less than a dollar.
Finally President Grover Cleveland dedicated it and New York held its first ticker tape parade.
Her first face lift took place in 1938 due to deterioration.
Her second, to work on the torch and interior took place from 1984 to 1986.
Closed after 911, she finally re-opened in 2004 after work had been done on the pedestal and the statue herself. It will close today so that a second, interior staircase can be added.
No one has been allowed on the balcony around the torch since 1916 for "safety reasons." After all, a lady deserves some privacy, don't you think?
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