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Lady Liberty in Paris - When words and matter meet

In this project, Virtual Journey offers a tour of the Statue of Liberty at the end of the 19th century as it was being constructed in Paris.

Taking place only fifteen years apart, the French Revolution and the Declaration of Independence of the United States were inspired by the same ideals : Liberty and Enlightenment.

A century later, the French artist Auguste Bartholdi celebrates them by designing the Statue of Liberty: 96 meters high including the base, 225 tonnes of metal; an architectural and technical feat achieved through innovative manufacturing methods.

In 1884, the statue is erected in the middle of Paris before being dismantled and transported to New York Bay. During the few months of its French exhibition, Parisians come in droves to see the monument. On the 29th of November, the famous French poet Victor Hugo, comes to visit the workshops where the Statue stands. He is accompanied by his beloved granddaughter, Jeanne. She is a lively and curious child, as free in her movements as she is in her words. The architect Bartholdi acts as their guide.

This historic encounter was chronicled in the newspaper Le Temps in great detail.

By recreating this moment of history, the Lady Liberty experience delves into the origins of Bartholdi’s work, asking whether the symbols the Statue represents have been lost in time like the golden shine from the copper of which it is made.