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The Statue Of Liberty

  • Writer: Sylvia Phillips
    Sylvia Phillips
  • Feb 8
  • 4 min read

Updated: Feb 18




The Statue of Liberty was designed by Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi and engineered by Gustave Eiffel (the engineer of the Eiffel Tower). It was a gift from France to the United States of America and was originally named "Liberty Enlightening the World."


Dedicated on October 28, 1886, on New York’s Bedloe's Island (now Liberty Island), the copper and iron monument (151 ft) was shipped in 350 pieces from Paris. The Statue was funded by public donations in France and cost $250,000 (approximately $5.5 million in today's money). But Americans funded the pedestal where she rests through crowdfunding, with Joseph Pulitzer's campaign raising the final needed funds for the $250,000 base.


It became a worldwide symbol of freedom, opportunity, and liberty, welcoming immigrants processing through nearby Ellis Island. 


It was 1865, just after the end of the American Civil War, when Frenchman Édouard de Laboulaye proposed the idea of presenting a monumental gift from the people of France to the people of the United States. An ardent supporter of America, Laboulaye wished to commemorate the centennial of the Declaration of Independence and the close Franco-American ties. He was equally moved by the recent abolition of slavery in the U.S., which furthered America's ideals of liberty and freedom.


Bartholdi's design was symbolic in many ways:

  • The broken shackles and chains at her feet symbolize freedom from bondage and tyranny, commemorating the abolition of slavery after the Civil War.

  • The rays of her crown represent a halo (or aureole). They radiate forward like the sun. There are seven rays on the crown to represent both the seven continents and the seven seas of the world.

  • The 25 windows in her crown symbolize the 25 gemstones on earth, and heaven’s rays of light. This is best seen at night when the statue’s crown shines from within.

  • The slab she holds is actually a tablet, with Roman numerals inscribed reading “July 4, 1776.” This date was chosen by Bartholdi due to its association with America’s Declaration of Independence. He admired the American fight for liberty and freedom, as well as the U.S. Constitution. The tablet represents a book of law. The shape isn’t actually square but rather a keystone. This signifies the importance that the rule of law had in America.


Fascinating facts:

– The Statue of Liberty is struck by lightning approximately 600 times a year.

– Winds greater than 50 miles per hour make her sway 3 inches and her torch 5 inches

– The torch served as a functioning lighthouse from 1886 to 1902

– She was shiny copper brown before oxidizing and turning green by 1906.

The torch was damaged in 1916, during World War I, by a German sabotage explosion ending tours of the torch. 


Resources: Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island Foundation

Statue of Liberty Tour.

The Statue of Liberty: A Monumental Dream

National Parks Services NPS.gov


Needle felted Statue of Liberty 2025

NEEDLE FELTED STATUE OF LIBERTY


I visited the Statue of Liberty during my first visit to New York City in the late 90s. Climbing the 354 stairs to her crown, The cramped room felt claustrophobic, yet the view was worth the discomfort. Outside, I remember being awestruck by the detail of the folds of her gown, the structure of her face. How beautiful her hands were. The gold of the flame on her torch. Her upswept hair. The toenails on her feet. The broken chains on the platform. The stunning color of the patina the copper had turned with age.


I have NO idea what made me think I could needle felt her all these years later. I started her wire armature in March 2025, after finding the right color wool. I set her aside for several months, finishing her on January 15, 2026, ironically, the birthday of American civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.


Felting is one of the oldest forms of textile crafts dating back to 6500 BC. Needle felting is essentially sculpting with wool. You take loose, unspun wool (called roving) and poke it repeatedly with a special barbed needle to tangle the fibers together into a solid shape. Felting is a form of knitting. I needle felt using a wire armature, so I can position my felts.

I started my self-taught journey in felting in 2010, with lessons learned through trial and error, along with thousands of hours of felting. If I never see the color I felted the statue in, (Aqua by SaraFina Fibers), it will be too soon! She stands 20 inches tall (one of the larger pieces I have felted).


Art can be a powerful form of expression, especially during difficult times. I have once again felt the need to find a way to express myself during this time in America, where human rights for all continue to be threatened. This statue, to me, represents rights that all people should be afforded.


See the video below of how my "The Statue of Liberty" came to life AND stay tuned.


Photos of needle felt courtesy of Margaret Wolf Photography.







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