Around 1865, as the American Civil War
drew to a close, the French historian Edouard de Laboulaye proposed
that France create a statue to give to the United States in celebration
of that nation’s success in building a viable democracy. The sculptor
Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, known for largescale sculptures, earned the
commission the goal was to design the sculpture in time for the
centennial of the Declaration of Independence
in 1876. The project would be a joint effort between the two
countries–the French people were responsible for the statue and its
assembly, while the Americans would build the pedestal on which it would
stand–and a symbol of the friendship between their peoples..