Most people know the Statue of Liberty as a symbol of freedom, but not everyone knows just how much work went into building her. Yes, she was a gift from France, but getting her from concept to reality was anything but simple. The project kicked off back in the 1870s and took years of effort, creativity, and coordination between folks on both sides of the Atlantic.
Digging into old photographs and rare behind-the-scenes images, you can really get a sense of how much care went into every piece. You see craftsmen shaping metal, engineers solving problems no one had tackled before, and crews working together on a scale that’s still pretty impressive even today. From Bartholdi’s artistic vision to Gustave Eiffel’s structural brilliance, it was a serious team effort.
Below, we’ve pulled together 20 vintage photos that show just how this legendary statue came to life—one piece at a time.
1. The Statue of Liberty while under construction in 1884
Did you know The Statue of Liberty was made in Paris and gifted to the U.S. by France?
2. The “skeleton” of Lady Liberty
The internal skeleton of the statue was designed by Gustave Eiffel, the same engineer who designed the Eiffel Tower.
3. This is the construction crew that worked on the Statue of Liberty
The crew that worked on the statue was over 60 people strong.
4. The statue’s head on display in Paris
The statue’s head was on display like this just one year before it was gifted to the United States.
5. Construction workers making preparations for the removal of the statue’s torch
French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi crafted the original design of the torch. The flame was initially made from copper and had a more rounded shape. Over time, it underwent modifications. The current flame of the Statue of Liberty is made of gold-leafed copper and is coated in a thin layer of pure gold. This gives the torch its bright, reflective appearance.
6. The hand and torch on display at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition
The rest of the statue was completed ten years later.
7. Workers at the monument’s base, 1884
The U.S. was responsible for building and funding the pedestal, which stands at 154 feet.
8. Completing the torch, 1886
The torch was the final piece of the puzzle and was finished on October 28, 1886.
9. Lady Liberty’s head on display in the garden at the Champ de Mars
Paris displayed the statue like this to drum up support and contributions for the great project.
10. Lady Liberty standing in France
Did you know they assembled the entire Statue of Liberty in France to make sure it could stand, disassembled it, and then brought it to America?
11. The Statue of Liberty stands at 305 feet
This means if you laid the statue down horizontally, it would be longer than a football field.
12. Building the hand and the torch, 1876
The torch, from the base to the tip, stands approximately 29 feet tall. The total height of the statue, including the pedestal, reaches about 305 feet, but the torch is the most prominent feature at the top.
13. Workers on the scaffolding during the restoration project of Lady Liberty in 1984
There’s not a safety harness in sight.
14. The view of the Statue of Liberty while under construction in France
The total construction of Lady Liberty took only about 9 years.
15. Architects standing in the torch
For a period, visitors could access the torch via a narrow staircase inside the statue, but this access was closed to the public in 1916 due to safety concerns, particularly after the explosion of a nearby munitions depot during World War I.
16. Transportation of a 1/4 scale Statue of Liberty replica
This replica was gifted to France to celebrate 100 years since the French Revolution.
17. This is what Lady Liberty looked like in color in 1886
The bronze coloring turned to green due to the oxidation of the copper. It’s like when you find a really old penny that has that green stuff all over it.
18. The Statue of Liberty arrived in New York on June 17, 1885
Lady Liberty was disassembled into 350 pieces and packed into 214 crates. She arrived in the New York Harbor on June 17, 1885, aboard the French Navy ship “Isere”.
19. The face was created completely separate from the body
The face of the Statue of Liberty is a symbolic representation of Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom. The features are intended to embody the ideals of liberty, justice, and democracy.
20. Renovations on Lady Liberty, 1986
During this renovation engineers found numerous defects when it was originally designed and constructed. These included the head being 2 meters off center, and the right arm being improperly attached.
