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The new colossus4/8/2023 ![]() Lazarus was not a surprising choice to contribute to the auction she was a frequent contributor to literary magazines, had published several books, and belonged to literary circles that included Ralph Waldo Emmerson. Not just “liberty” itself, but also the idea that American “liberty” is a shining light guiding the whole world from the harbor of the young democracy’s largest city. The statue’s original name, “Liberty Enlightening the World” gives us an idea of what the project’s French backer, political thinker Édouard René Lefèbvre de Laboulaye, and his sculptor, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, intended the sculpture to personify. In this case three figures representing strength (in the form of the Greek god Hercules), speed (Mercury), and wisdom (Minerva) are meant to represent the idea of “Transportation” when taken together. Another example is the group of allegorical figures on top of Grand Central Terminal from 1912. ![]() Think of the image of “Justice” – a blindfolded woman holding scales in one hand and a sword in the other. Popular in the Gilded Age through the turn of the century, allegorical sculptures are meant to personify abstract ideas. The Statue of Liberty is an allegorical sculpture. It would take even longer for the meanings of the words and the statue to become completely intertwined. The statue, a gift to America from the people of France, was unveiled in 1886 but it was not until 1903 that these words, written 20 years earlier by a then well-known New York poet, became part of the Statue of Liberty. For many, these words are proof that welcoming immigrants and refugees is as fundamental to what it means to be American as the idea of “liberty” itself. They are the words inscribed on a plaque at the Statue of Liberty.
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