Do you know that the eyes of the Statue of Liberty are each two and a half feet across? …and that the cornerstone was laid for her pedestal on this date in 1884?
Oh Beautiful, for Spacious Eyes
Do you know that the eyes of the Statue of Liberty are each two and a half feet across? …and that the cornerstone was laid for her pedestal on this date in 1884?
The United States agreed to build the 154-foot pedestal to support the colossal copper statue, a gift from the French government and sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. Since its dedication in 1886, the Statue of Liberty has symbolized Franco-American friendship as well as freedom.
From her oilcan base to her reflector beacon, New York Lady is Leslie Payne's ingenious interpretation of the Statue of Liberty. Visiting this historic symbol of freedom was the highlight of this Virginia fisherman's only trip to New York. Although he called his sculptures "imitations," Payne's improvisational flair shines through Liberty's jaunty pose and costume.
See New York Lady (Statue of Liberty) in our traveling exhibition, Contemporary Folk Art: Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Source: Lynda Hartigan. Contemporary Folk Art: Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum (exhibition text, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 1999).
Pictured: Leslie J. Payne, 1907–81, New York Lady (Statue of Liberty), about 1970, painted tin, copper and wood with costume jewelry and reflector, 26 5/8 x 16 1/4 x 7 3/8 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment.