Lady Liberty in Colmar France

Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi (2 August 1834 - 4 October 1904) the creator of the statue "Liberty Enlightening the World" commonly known as the Statue of Liberty was born and raised in Colmar, Alsace, France.

In fact he lived there his whole life in the same house which is now a museum. He married Jeanne-Emile Baheux ​(m. 1876) and remained married until death.

Controversy

Of course there has to be complaints from the peanut gallery.

It appears allegedly that Raphaël Glucksmann a French politician has asked for the statue to be returned to France as America is failing in its historical role in welcoming immigrants.

The statue was meant to symbolize friendship between France and the USA but as with many things it means different things to different people now.

Liberty Enlightening the World

"We are the keepers of the flame of liberty; we hold it high for the world to see."

Ronald Reagan actor & president

The above photo of the statue was taken where it stands on a roundabout in Colmar.

It was a bit tricky getting the shot as the traffic was not keen on a tourist taking photos of this iconic statue in the middle of a busy road.

The Roundabout

I had to wait for a break in the traffic to get a clean photo below.

I'm guessing that this view above is what most immigrants saw coming into New York harbour? Liberty off in the distance?

Although he was a prolific artist Bartholdi produced many sculptures and paintings. He is best known for designing Liberty Enlightening the World or the Statue of Liberty.

Portrait of Bartholdi 1875

Portrait by Nadar, c. 1875

Photo Source Wikipedia

Its construction was begun by Viollet-le-Duc but then completed by Gustave Eiffel (Tour Eiffel, Paris) after Viollet-le-Duc's death.

The outer skin of the statue is made of copper and must have been spectacular to see it shining in the sun.

As the verdigris (oxidisation) began to form on the copper a committee inspected it and decided that the best thing was to let natural weathering take it's course. Hence the familiar colour we see today.

The statue was a gift from France to the United States and was erected in 1886 on Liberty Island after a considerable number of years of delays as no americans seemed to want to pay for it's erection. That's a whole other story in itself.

It has costs many millions of dollars to maintain and restore the statue over the 100+ years that it has stood in New York harbor and it has changed hands between a number of US state and federal departments.

It could be argued that the Statue was a gift and should be returned as the U.S.A no longer embodies the values the statue represents.

Secondly the current political climate in the U.S.A undermines the ideals of freedom and democracy that the statue symbolizes, making it inappropriate for it to remain there.

The iconic quote from the Statue of Liberty is:

>"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."

From the poem "The New Colossus".
Written by Emma Lazarus in 1883.

Happy 250th birthday America.

Just my opinion but that famous quote rings a bit hollow today, just like the Liberty Bell.

I know plenty of Americans I've even got a few in the family. What is going on in the USA is mind-boggling to most people with a working brain cell.

All photos and text are mine unless stated otherwise.

Edit typo