The Statue of Liberty History It is the tallest metal statue
ever constructed, and, at the time it was completed, the tallest
building in New York, 22 stories high. It stands 151 feet high
and weighs 225 tons. Its arms are 42 long and its torch is 21
feet in length. Its index fingers are eight feet long and it has
a 4-foot 6-inch nose. - Since 1886 she has stood proudly in New
York Harbor, in a naturally very corrosive marine environment. A
gift from "the French people to the American people," master
sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi had originally envisioned
this to be a new Wonder of the World to mark Egypt's Suez Canal.
After history and politics got in the way, Bartholdi looked to
America and saw the perfect gift to celebrate America's
Centennial. - Edouard de Laboulaye, French historian and admirer
of American political institutions, suggested that the French
present a monument to the United States, the latter to provide
pedestal and site. Bartholdi visualized a colossal statue at the
entrance of New Y