Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi (1834-1904)

Born on April 2, 1834 in the Alsace region of France, Bartholdi studied architecture in his hometown of Colmar and then went to Paris to further his studies in architecture and painting. After a trip to the Middle East in 1855, he focused his attention on large-scale or "monumental" sculptures. His finest piece is Le Lion de Belfort (The Lion of Belfort), which he finished in 1880. A massive lion carved out of local reddish-pink sandstone, the statue honors France's victory in the war against Prussia in 1870.

Bartholdi's most famous sculpture is probably the Statue of Liberty, which the French government donated to the United States to commemorate the friendship between the two nations. Both the French and American people helped raise money for the huge project. Edouard de Laboulaye designed the sculpture and Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, who designed the Eiffel Tower, helped with the inside foundation. Bartholdi, who did the actual sculpting, came to America and selected New York Harbor as the location for the statue. "The statue was born for this place which inspired its conception," Bartholdi declared.

Once completed, the statue was separated into 350 pieces and shipped to the U.S. in 214 crates. It was dedicated on October 28, 1886. The statue measures 305 feet from the ground to the tip of the torch and weighs 156 tons (counting the concrete foundation, it's 27,156 tons!) The face of the Statue of Liberty is supposedly modeled after Bartholdi's mother.

Bartholdi's work can be seen in several other places in the U.S. including a fountain in United States Botanic Garden in Washington, DC, the statue of the Marquis de Lafayette in Union Square in New York City; and the Lafayette and Washington Monument in Morningside Park, New York City. The great sculptor died in Paris on October 4, 1904 of tuberculosis.