Lady Liberty has peered stoically across the New York Harbor every since she landed from France in this month in 1886. This got us wondering, who was the face of Statue of Liberty? Turns out it was the sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi’s mother. Bartholdi’s wife didn’t quite make the cut for the face but served as the model for the arms and torso. Here is a painting of Charlotte Beysser Bartholdi–recognize the determined jaw? Another fun note: Bartholdi designed it, but Gustav Eiffel (of the Eiffel Tower fame) did the structural engineering.
Michelle is the founder of Untapped New York and the author of The Art Spy (HarperOne, forthcoming) Secret Brooklyn, Secret New York Hidden Bars & Restaurants, and Broadway. michelleyoungwriter.com
