Statue of Liberty

A colossal neoclassical statue on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, given to the United States by the people of France and dedicated in 1886.

The Statue of Liberty, formally Liberty Enlightening the World, is a colossal neoclassical sculpture of a robed and crowned woman on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, part of New York City. A gift to the United States from the people of France, it was designed by the French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, and its metal framework was built by Gustave Eiffel. It was dedicated on October 28, 1886.

Inspired by Libertas, the Roman goddess of liberty, the figure holds a torch in her right hand and a tablet inscribed with the date of the Declaration of Independence in her left. The statue became an icon of freedom and of the United States, a symbol of welcome to immigrants arriving by sea. Since 1933 the National Park Service has maintained it as part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument.