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Statue of Liberty Ancestors
Bartholdi started "Liberty Enlightening the World" in Paris in 1875, but his inspriation for a torch carrying statue occurred about 10 years earlier on a visit to the Suez Canal, a project engineered by Bartholdi's friend Ferdinand Vicomte de Lesseps. Bartholdi conceived a "lighthouse" named "Egypt Bringing Light to Asia" in the form of the Roman goddess "Libertas" as a proposal to the Egyptian ruler, Khediev Isma'il Pasha, in 1867, but the project was never accepted. At about the same time, 1865, Bartholdi connected with Edouard-Rene Lefebvre de Laboulaye (1811-83), and began a series of discussions about a gift to America, ultimately leading to the State of Liberty in New York.
It is certain that Bartholdi was formulating his vision of a statue respresenting liberty by 1865 and that development of his concept continued until at least 1875 when construction began. These are the dates used here to determine what respresentations of Liberty may have been influential to Bartholdi as he developed his image. Bartholdi himself did not elaborate on his inspiration, leaving much to speculation. The art and sculptures noted below sprang from the same heritage available to Bartholdi and contributed directly or indirectly to Bartholdi's image.
Historical Sources
Statue of Liberty Facts
Famous Americans: Frederic Auguste Bartholdi
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