Mini-Lady Liberty statue heads to United States from France for Independence Day
- The mini-Lady Liberty is set to go on display in the gardens of the French embassy in Washington, DC in time for July 4 celebrations
- The statue will arrive in the US in time for France’s Bastille Day celebration on July 14 and stay on display for the next decade
A replica of the Statue of Liberty, smaller but based on the original plaster cast of its big sister on Liberty Island, Manhattan – a gift from France – was given a send-off on Monday before a trip to the United States where it will be displayed for Independence Day.
The nearly three-metre-high (nearly 10-ft high) bronze will make a nine-day trip across the Atlantic Ocean later this month, sailing out aboard a container ship from the French port of Le Havre to Baltimore. It will then be transported to the US, arriving in time for July 4 celebrations.
The mini-Lady Liberty is then set to go on display in the gardens of the French embassy in Washington DC, arriving there in time for France’s Bastille Day celebration on July 14. The statue will stay there for the next decade.
The monumental Statue of Liberty in New York’s harbour, by sculptor Auguste Bartholdi, symbolises the United States’ welcoming to its shores of immigrants seeking refuge and freedom. A gift to America in 1885, it also serves as a monument to the enduring French-American friendship.
The Statue of Liberty “is like our Eiffel Tower”, said US embassy representative Liam Wasley at the send-off ceremony, calling it an icon that symbolises not just liberty but “the richness of our relationship” with France.
The smaller version heading to the US had been displayed in Paris at the Musee des Arts et Metiers.
