Liberty Island
Frederic–August Barholdi, 1886

The incomparable Miss Liberty is, without a doubt, the most famous statue in the world. Her full title is Liberty Enlightening the World, a wonderful summation of the United States’ mission to demonstrate that a free and equal democracy can be sustainable and effective. Known to most of us as Miss Liberty, she was a gift from France in 1886. At the time, the United States was a young nation, but already powerful, and New York was the busiest port in the world. Since Miss Liberty was first erected, she has been the defining image of New York Harbor, telling immigrants and visitors for more than a century that they have arrived at the capitol of the free world.

The New Colossus
(1883)
by Emma Lazarus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea–washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon–hand
Glows world–wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air–bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest–tossed to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”