Unboxing the Statue of Liberty in 1885.

Historical Shots of the Famous Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty was put on exhibit at the Paris World's Fair of 1878. It stayed there for a year before being shipped to New York City.

Located on Liberty Island, New York, the Statue of Liberty was designed by Frédéric Bartholdi (1876-1886). It was intended as a gift to the American people as a symbol of the friendship between France and the United States that was formed during the Revolutionary War against Great Britain.

The torch-bearing arm of the Statue of Liberty was displayed at the Centennial Exposition in 1876 and in New York's Madison Square Park from 1876 to 1882.

Statue of Liberty's head on exhibit at the Paris World's Fair (1878).

The Arm of Liberty, 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition.

Centennial Exposition in 1876.

Statue of Liberty under construction in France.

The Statue of Liberty's face before it was installed, in 1886.

Starting the assembly of the Statue of Liberty, 1895.

Between 1876 and 1882, the arm of the Statue of Liberty was in Madison Square Park at 23rd Street. It was used for fund-raising to complete the Statue, which required quite a bit of labor to unbox and assemble. Madison Square at the time was like Central Park is now, the center of city social life. Anyone could pay 50 cents to climb to the torch balcony.

Preparing the copper cladding, 1880.

1884 construction of the Statue of Liberty.

The Statue of Liberty, flanked by the twin towers of the World Trade Center, Dec. 5, 1983. Photo by Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times.

2021