Ever curious about the history of the greatest monument ever? This book offers a nice explanation with a wonderful pictorial history a well. This book is available at most book stores. I found a copy of it at Barnes & Noble.
From my previous waymark:
This is probably the most visited and most recognizable statue in the world. The Statue of Liberty was a gift of international friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States and is a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886, designated as a National Monument in 1924 and restored for her centennial on July 4, 1986.
The SIRIS site describes this national monument as an allegorical female figure, representing Liberty, standing with right hand held high above her head. She holds a torch in her proper right hand. The statue stands upon a pedestal that rests within the star-shaped walls of Fort Hunt. The circular stairway within the statue has 171 steps and the pedestal stairway contains 167 steps.
The idea for the statue originated in 1865 by a group of French Repubicans. From the first model in terra cotta, Bartholdi progressed to the final figure by creating four successive statues, each an exact larger-scale version of the one preceding. The statue was completed ca. 1884 and between 1884 and 1886, disassembled and shipped across the Atlantic. The pedestal was designed by Hunt; supporting structure by Viollet-le-Duc, and upon his death, Eiffel. Ten years after the statue was presented U.S. citizens had finally raised enough money to pay for the base. Portfolio (magazine) July/August 1981 issue includes historic photographs by French industrial photographer, Fernique, depicting the statue's assembly.
The statue is composed of hammered copper sheets attached to an iron framework. It was dedicated on October 28, 1886. The overall height is 305 feet with the statue having a height of 151 feet. The base is 154 feet and has a weight of 225 tons. Many people were involved in the undertaking to create this monument including:
Bartholdi, Frederic Auguste, 1834-1904, sculptor
Hunt, Richard Morris, 1827-1895, architect
Eiffel, Alexandre-Gustave, 1832-1923, engineer
Viollet-le-Duc, Eugene Emmanuel, engineer
Gaget, Gautheir et Compagnie, fabricator