The Statue of Liberty was a joint effort between France and the United States, intended to commemorate the lasting friendship between the peoples of the two nations. The French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi created the statue itself out of sheets of hammered copper, while Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, the man behind the famed Eiffel Tower, designed the statue's steel framework.
The Statue of Liberty was then given to the United States and erected atop an American-designed pedestal on a small island in Upper New York Bay, now known as Liberty Island, and dedicated by President Grover Cleveland in 1886.
Over the years, the statue stood tall
as millions of immigrants arrived in America via nearby
Ellis Island ... The Statue of Liberty remains an enduring symbol of freedom and democracy, as well as one of the world's most recognizable landmarks.
In celebration of Statue of Liberty's
centennial ... this inspiring 1986 documentary traces
the symbolic nature of the statue ... and looks at the
life and inspirations of Bartholdi, its creator. John
Bos, Arts America host, introduces the film with
narration by actress Nancy Marchand (Lou Grant, The
Sopranos).
Video courtesy of U.S.
Information Agency / National Archives and Records
Administration
