Missing a lot of the story...and it wasnt designed for New york. It was designed for Egypt.
In fact, at one point Boston tried to get it. The designer at one point thought about Philadelphia because there he raised enough funds for the head of the statue.
The designer came to American and tried all kinds of fundraising efforts.
People truly don’t understand how the Statue of Liberty came about.
“IT” wasn’t designed for Egypt. The statue of Liberty was designed for the entry into New York harbor and Bartholdi selected Bedloes Island specifically.
The sculptor had hoped for the commission of a monumental LIGHTHOUSE for the Suez canal and did design a LIGHTHOUSE for Egypt in the form of a woman holding a lamp. However, he did not receive a commission and his plans were for naught.
Sometime later, he was contacted to design a statue for the centennial of the Constitution. it wwas NOT the same statue designed on paper for Etypt. It was a design he made specifically for America.......Freedom enlightening the world.