or more correctly translated, "The Man Who Invented Miss Liberty."
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Auguste Bartholdi at the age of 66 by José Frappa
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Following
the trip on the Route of Democracy
on September 14, Red Baron participated in
an excursion to Colmar. This time, a member of the Museumsgesellschaft, an expert on
Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, guided us through the artist's birthplace - now a dedicated museum -
and to several of his oeuvres around town.
Bartholdi not only invented, but he also had Miss Liberty created. With the statue,
he wanted to express France's gratitude to the United States, which, in 1776, had
provided, in its Declaration of Independence, the blueprint for the
Déclaration universelle des droits de l'homme of the French Revolution of 1789.
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Miss Liberty in the foreground and background
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Following
a trip to Freiburg's partner city, Madison, Wisconsin, in the fall of 2004, Red Baron visited New York on his way back. In particular, he took a boat to
Ellis Island to learn about his ancestors who emigrated from Germany to the New
World.
The ferryboat was called Miss Liberty, and we passed Miss Liberty in all her
splendor.
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Les grands soutiens du monde 1902
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Back to the trip. Before entering the museum, our group circled Bartholdi's sculpture, The Great Supporters of the World, in the
courtyard.
Concerning the Statue of Liberty, the people of France were asked to
finance it, while the United States was supposed to provide the site and
build the pedestal.
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One ear of Miss Liberty, measuring 140 cm, is on display
at the museum.
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Funding for the monumental work in France was secured by exhibiting the
finished head of the statue at the Paris World's Fair in 1878, while the
torch-bearing arm was shipped to the States and displayed at the Centennial
Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876.
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Stereoscopic photo at Philadelphia Fairmount Park, 1876
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You can
read the full story here
while I show you some of the exhibits at the Bartholdi Museum.
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In 1776, the plans were ready, their execution a vision.
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On the occasion of the centenary of the Declaration of Independence, a
diorama tried to make the statue popular in France.
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A contemporary photograph with a handwritten entry by the master:
The Statue of Liberty, 46 m, January 1884, Bartholdi
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The statue was built in Paris, in the courtyard of the Gaget and Gauthier
workshops on Rue de Chazelles, and completed in 1884.
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At that time, Lucky Luke was in Paris and surprised
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The finished statue was dismantled, placed in crates, and shipped to New York.
It was reassembled on the completed pedestal on what was then called Bedloe's
Island.
On the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the statue's inauguration,
the US returned to France an original steel rivet strip from
Gustave Eiffel's inner supporting structure.
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Columbus: Ahead, forward, 1892
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Bartholdi was an Americanophile, and in his life, he traveled several times
to the States.
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| St. Louis |
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Going west by train
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Redwood trees in California
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He discovered the landscape.
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Washington meets Lafayette
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There is more to see at the Bartholdi Museum.
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Vercingetorix 1869
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The Gallic national hero Vercingetorix must not be missed.
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| A la Suisse |
A grateful tribute from a child of Strasbourg commemorating the
Swiss aid during the siege of Strasbourg in 1870 in the Franco-Prussian
War.
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Lazarus von Schwendi's head
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Read my earlier blog
for further information.
A meal in Alsace without Riesling is not possible. The wine served in
liter bottles at the Restaurant Bartholdi (sic!)
a coulé à flots
(flowed in streams). As a starter, we had a dandelion salad with a poached
egg; the main course was a chicken d'Alsace in Riesling sauce (What else?)
with mushrooms and baker's noodles. For dessert, the restaurant served a
tarte aux pruneaux (prune pie).
After the three-course lunch, our group walked to Bartholdi's statues in Colmar.
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Son of Colmar
Jean Rapp, called Napoleon's fearless general
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This was a memorable excursion. Dr. Karl Kunibert Schäfer guided the group with his
enthusiasm and expertise. Thank you!
**
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