Posted on 09/10/2023 12:38:42 PM PDT by algore
The Statue of Liberty, with its big torch, blue-green color and fancy hat, is one of the most recognizable landmarks on Earth.
But when it was first constructed as a gift from France in 1885, the statue had not yet acquired this color, doing so later as the result of chemistry. The idea of returning it to its original color is gaining a little attention on X (Twitter). So how has the color been altered over the years?
As a video from the American Chemical Society's YouTube channel Reactions explains, the original color of the Statue of Liberty was a rather magnificent copper.
"In her first few decades in the Big Apple, the statue slowly turned from that shiny copper color to a dull brown and then finally to the blue-green, or as they'd say back in France, 'verdigris', we see today," the American Chemical Society explains in their video.
Over the years, several reactions took place. First, the copper reacted with oxygen in the air. The copper gave up electrons to the oxygen, leading to the mineral cuprite, which is a pinkish red. After that, the cuprite gave up more electrons to oxygen, forming tenorite, which is black, causing the statue to become darker still. But that still isn't green.
The water in the atmosphere, when mixed with sulfur, turns to sulfuric acid. When this was mixed with copper oxides on the statue, it began to turn its distinctive green color. Chloride from the sea spray added to this, making the statue even greener.
The statue has remained this color for over 100 years because the exposed copper is now chemically stable, but underneath that layer, it is still the original bronze.
I think she’s beautiful just as she is.
+1 for green. Gives it character.
That’s one of the goofiest ideas I have ever read.
I’m cynical enough to see this as a ploy to get a bronze colored statue just to show how eager we are to take in bronze colored illegals.
Green is better for sure.
Doesn’t anyone watch Antiques Roadshow? That’s patina. You lose value by cleaning that off.
Any artist, sculptor or designer working with natural copper knows it will change color to the blue-green patina of aged copper and will never stay the color of raw copper once exposed to weather. Any building made with copper for roofing or trim has the same features. Using clear finishes to artificially keep the raw copper look is a recent trend that is not an honest use of the material.
The statue should be buried on the beach up to its neck.
Not a gift. Paid for by donations from both countries. Neither government funded it.
In 1982, four years before the Statue's centennial anniversary, President Ronald Reagan appointed Lee Iacocca, the Chairman of Chrysler Corporation, to head the Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation. The Foundation was created to lead the private sector effort and raise the funds for the renovation and preservation of the Statue for its centennial in 1986. The Foundation worked with the National Park Service to plan, oversee, and implement this restoration.Workers repaired holes in the copper skin and removed layers of paint from the interior of the copper skin and internal iron structure. They replaced the rusting iron armature bars (which joined the copper skin to the Statue's internal skeleton) with stainless steel bars. The flame and upper portion of the torch had been severely damaged by water and was replaced with an exact replica of Bartholdi's original torch. The torch was gilded according to Bartholdi's original plans.
The restoration was completed in 1986 and the Statue's centennial was celebrated on July 4 with fireworks and fanfare. On July 5th, a new Statue of Liberty exhibit opened in the base of the pedestal.
Before everyone says no, take a look at the depiction of what it looked like. It wasn’t just copper,it was a beautiful copper gold. More like gold. It looked much better.
Leave the Lady be.
The exterior coating was made of thin sheets of copper and the artist and everybody else knew that it was going to oxidize and develop a patina. This was part of the work.
For interesting information on the sculptor, Bartholdi, check out this site:
https://www.nps.gov/stli/learn/historyculture/frederic-auguste-bartholdi.htm.
I love her just the way she is now
The patina layer is a protective against corrosion.
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