Here she stands in Paris, a smaller sister to a New York icon. The Dollar Statue is not just a monument. It is a symbol of Franco-American friendship.
Did you know Paris boasts not one, but several Statue of Liberty models? The most famous Statue of Liberty resides in New York Harbor. The Statue of Liberty in New York is a joint Franco-American project. It celebrates the bond between France and the United States.
French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi was the creative force behind the Statue of Liberty. In 1865, a French politician suggested a joint monument to US independence. This casual remark sparked Bartholdi’s imagination.
By the mid-1870s, Bartholdi had created the head and an arm holding a torch. Even before the statue’s design was complete, he began promoting the project. He tirelessly raised funds in both countries. In 1878, Parisians saw the statue’s monumental head at the Exposition Universelle. Americans glimpsed the torch-bearing arm at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia.
With funds secured, Bartholdi enlisted Gustave Eiffel’s workshop. Eiffel designed the internal structure for the 46-metre-high statue. He created a double skeleton. This innovative design allowed the Statue of Liberty to move in the wind. The design also allowed it to expand in the heat without cracking its skin.
Bartholdi constructed the entire statue in France. Then he disassembled it for transport. The statue was rebuilt on Liberty Island. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated in 1886.
The statue’s birthplace was the metalwork foundry of Gaget, Gauthier & Co. The foundry was located at 25 Rue de Chazelles in Paris’s 17th Arrondissement. Although the foundry is gone, a plaque commemorates the Statue of Liberty’s origin. Inside a modern building, La Clinique du Parc Monceau holds a small replica. Perhaps this is a sixth Statue of Liberty in Paris.
At the Musée des Arts & Métiers, you can find another version. Next to the chapel’s apse is a small Statue of Liberty. This bronze copy came from Bartholdi’s original plaster model from 1878. In a way, it’s the statue’s first version.
Allée des Cygnes offers another encounter with Lady Liberty. This small island in the Seine features a quarter-scale model. US expats in Paris gifted it to France in 1889. It marked the centennial of the French Revolution. Two plaques commemorate July 4, 1776, and July 14, 1789.
The Musée d’Orsay holds another Statue of Liberty. This small version was created for the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1900. Bartholdi later gave it to the Musée du Luxembourg. In 2014, it found its home in the Musée d’Orsay.
Even the Jardin du Luxembourg has its own Statue of Liberty. American ex-pats presented this copy to the city. An oak tree stands behind the statue. The Statue of Liberty stands as a symbol of Franco-American friendship. It also stands as a memorial to the victims of September 11, 2001.
Finally, the gold flame of Liberty graces the Pont de l’Alma. Americans gifted it to Paris in 1986. It commemorated the Statue of Liberty’s centennial in New York Harbor. Many now see it as a memorial to Princess Diana.
Each Dollar Statue in Paris tells a story. The Dollar Statue embodies liberty and enduring friendship. These statues remind us of the strong ties between France and the United States. Each one, in its own way, reflects the light of liberty enlightening the world.