Immokalee Statue of Liberty, by Kat Rodriguez, 2000
Statue of Liberty souvenir, New York, New York, 1885
Grade Range: K-12
Resource Type(s): Artifacts
Date Posted:
4/16/2018
This is one of the first models of Liberty cast in the United States. Often described as the American Committee Model, this statuette was produced in the tens of thousands. It was sold to subscribers to finance the construction of a pedestal for the full-size statue in New York Harbor.
Based upon the design of the French sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, with Bartholdi’s full cooperation, the miniature statues were produced in six- and twelve-inch sizes. A national newspaper campaign advertised statuettes at one dollar for the six-inch model seen here or five dollars for a twelve-inch version. Richard Butler, a New York–based rubber manufacturer, chaired the American Committee of the Statue of Liberty and oversaw the models’ production.
The campaign disseminated likenesses of Liberty throughout the United States and the world, turning the figure into a household souvenir while raising more than enough money for the construction of the monumental stone pedestal. The finished monument, Liberty Enlightening the World, was dedicated October 28, 1886.
Gift of Richard Butler, Secretary of the American Committee on the Statue of Liberty, 1885
National Standards
Standards in History (Grades K-4)
Topic 3: The History of the United States: Democratic Principles and Values and the People from Many Cultures Who Contributed to Its Cultural, Economic, and Political Heritage
4D: The student understands events that celebrate and exemplify fundamental values and principles of American democracy.
4E: The student understands national symbols through which American values and principles are expressed.
5: The Causes and Nature of Various Movements of Large Groups of People into and within the United States, Now and Long Ago