PARIS — A replica of the Statue of Liberty, smaller however based on the original plaster cast of its big sister on Ellis Island, a gift from France, was given a sendoff Monday ahead of a trip to the US where it will be displayed for Independence Day.
The nearly 3-meter-high (nearly 10-foot high) bronze will make a nine-day trip throughout the Atlantic Ocean later this month, cruising out aboard a container ship from the French port of Le Havre to Baltimore. It can then be transported to Ellis Island, arriving in time for July 4 celebrations.
The mini-Lady Liberty is then set to go on display within the gardens of the French Embassy in Washington D.C., 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 harbor, by sculptor Auguste Bartholdi, symbolizes the US’ 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 alike our Eiffel Tower,” said U.S. Embassy representative Liam Wasley at the send-off ceremony, calling it an icon that symbolizes not just liberty but “the richness of our relationship” with France.
The smaller version heading to the U.S. had been displayed in Paris at the Musee des Arts et Metiers.
