STATUE OF LIBERTY

New York, NY

The Statue of Liberty is a neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York City’s harbor. The copper-clad statue, a gift from the people of France to the United States, was designed by French sculptor Frédéric Bartholdi. Its steel structure was engineered by Gustave Eiffel, who also dabbled with towers elsewhere. Liberty stands 151 feet tall on a 154 foot podium designed by Richard Hunt, who is more well known for designing Biltmore Estates. The pedestal sits atop an older military fort with an 11-point star-shaped battlement wall. The statue is the figure of a classically draped woman, inspired by the Roman goddess of liberty, Libertas. In a contrapposto pose (one leg bearing the weight), she holds a torch above her head in her right hand, and in her left hand carries a tabula ansata inscribed JULY IV MDCCLXXVI (July 4, 1776). With her left foot she steps on a broken chain and shackles, commemorating the end of the American Civil War. The statue was conceived in 1865, when the French historian and abolitionist Édouard de Laboulaye proposed a monument to commemorate the centennial of U.S. independence (1876), the perseverance of American democracy and the liberation of the nation's slaves.

The fourth day of our May stay in New York to visit son and his wife, the sun finally came out. I caught an Uber to Battery Point and a ferry to Liberty Island. I first thought the only good view for this sketch would be from the ferry deck approaching the island, but that was moving point-of-view, so it didn’t work. Later, on the island walking around the statue, I found this view. The sun played perfectly across lady Liberty, helping to define all of her features. I was worried about being able to draw her face correctly, with her Roman nose, sharp jaws and dignified look. I think I got it right . . . .