In 1882, some six years into the construction of the Statue of Liberty, French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi tweaked a design element proposed by Gustave Eiffel, changing the manner in which Lady Liberty holds her iconic torch, reports science writer Greg Miller in Smithsonian Magazine.
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Surprisingly, I found this article very interesting. It’s very impressive that so many of these draftings and designs have survived long enough that they can be cohesively recovered. What I thought was most interesting was the image in the article that showed the collaboration between Bartholdi and Eiffel. It seems that they both had their own strengths which is why Eiffel was brought on to provide some aid to Bartholdi. The image showing the blue drafting with the red suggestion was very cool. It is interesting to think about why Bartholdi decided to go against Eiffel’s structural suggestion. Even with the changes it is quite impressive that it has remained for so long (considering some of the natural elements that the article mentions the statue would have to deal with - like salt water and constant wear and tear). The Statue of Liberty looks one way, and it’s hard to imagine it looking more like a Roblox character, but looking at these different draftings I understand why these engineers would make those decisions.
Personally, I had no clue that there was so much drama and history behind the Statue of Liberty. I know there was a lot of discussion surrounding the structural integrity of the large scale sculpture, but I didn’t know there were hidden documents and draftings about it. I wish I had the opportunity to sit and look at all of the used and altered draftings for this project. I find it so interesting how this majorly influential piece of history has so much historical tea surrounding it. I can’t imagine how the different designers went back and forth about the arm just for one guy to go and do what he wanted, and just letting the consequences playout after he has been long and gone for decades. This makes me think about how we are always making history in the moment whether we want to or not, but also makes me think about what we are doing and who we are choosing to listen to and how potentially different things could be if we changed one small aspect.
I really liked this article because it reveals the design and engineering process of the Statue of Liberty. I think that is one of the things that people often forget - that the Statue of Liberty required substantial engineering to be built. I’m amazed at the drafting of the supports for the statue (the drafting just looks really pretty). But more shockingly, the drafting was really well preserved and can be interpreted so cohesively. That’s really lucky for a historical document. The article also reminded me of the problems that the designers and engineers faced when designing and constructing the statue. It would have to stand against strong wind, different weather conditions, and corrosion. It’s good to see that the people on the job collaborated and designed the statue to be able to withstand for a long time. I would love to see the process that went behind installing an elevator and viewing floor at the top inside the statue. I’m pretty sure it was added later but how did the engineers deal with the existing statue and implement those changes?
This is wild. I love these little lost tokens of history, and this article paints a lovely picture of two engineers acting perfectly civil while one adjusts the other’s work once he's out of the room. It is stories like these that remind you that historical figures were still very very human, and that although customs and fashions and technologies have all changed, there is a backbone of humanity that has remained the same for centuries. That backbone is called pettiness. Projects today do not often go smoothly for the entire process, especially with two people leading the charge, so why do we assume that massive projects two hundred years ago were easy peasy lemon squeezy. It is interesting to finally have the primary source confirmation of this error in design of this sculpture, because there are many small details of this piece that have puzzled engineers and historians alike.
It was a refreshing change to read an article that did not talk about covid-19 or about the impacts of the situation that the virus as created for everyone around the world. And it was probably because of that that I was so interested in this article and what it talked about.
The Statue of Liberty is one of the most recognized structures around the world.
It comes as no surprise that the blueprint of the structure underwent a lot of design iterations, in an attempt to make the best structure they could with these changes.
After looking at these blueprints that the article shows, it seems to me that the last minute tweak that the designers added only added to the overall beauty of the Statue of Liberty. The upraised arm with the torch has been a symbol for liberty, something that is so important to humankind that an impressive tweak only adds to the overall beauty of the structure.
The antique draftings are fascinating. I understand why this was put on the greenpage because it’s a marrying of design and engineering, which is exactly the reason I’m here at Zoom Theater School™. It’s interesting that the article doesn’t discuss the implications of the altered truss structure. Is there any weakness that could lead to problems due to age and high winds? The back and forth between designer and engineer is a process that is quite fascinating. One is the voice of realism and the other is the voice of idealism. The project would never be as impressive if both parties were the same person. The designer stretches the line of what can and cannot be done to new lengths. Designers/engineers have the challenge of already being limited by reality. That seems to be a driving force in the teaching of design here at CMU. Don’t let reality get in the way of your concept, which is certainly an excellent way to create never before seen work.
Okay so I was over here thinking that this article was going to reveal that the Statue of Liberty’s arm was not even supposed to be vertical or something drastic like that. I did not realize that the design change in question was only an acute angle difference. However, the magnitude of the discussion that this seemingly minute change provokes, it is incredibly fascinating to see this iconic symbol of America in its infancy...before it was even in America’s possession. We never hear too much about the Statue of Liberty from France’s perspective, so seeing these steps that Gustave Eiffel and Bartholdi took to bring it to life provides an interesting insight. I feel like this article would be a hundred times more shocking if the Statue of Liberty’s arm was not structurally sound (which I am assuming it is). Then, we could look at Bartholdi’s adjustments and give him one resounding “I told you so” (I mean really it is Eiffel who would tell him that but ya know).
It is so interesting to learn these little tidbits of history that have been lost in plain sight for over s century. I had no idea that there was even speculation that the original designs of Gustave Eiffel had been changed prior to the construction of the statue. Now, all of a sudden, these little changes are being noted more than one hundred years after they were drawn up on the plans. It makes me wonder where these plans had been kept previously. I’m surprised they weren’t archived or on display in a museum. A lot of famous documents are lost because they aren’t as valuable initially, but the plans for arguably the most well-known statue in the world? Even if I didn’t know how famous it would be, if I had drawn up the original plans for at three-hundred-foot-tall statue, I would most definitely keep them safe. I believe it is somewhat ironic that Gustave Eiffel’s original plans were altered, as he was hired on the job as an engineering consultant to ensure the statue would stay standing. And yet, Bartholdi still changed the design, altering some of the structural elements that Eiffel had drafted in.
I love seeing these old draftings, its truly fascinating. It is so impressive that the drafting from the Statue of Liberty has been preserved for this long, and I really am interested to see more draftings for famous archicture if it exists. Who knew there was so much drama surrounding the making of the statue of liberty? These draftings truly tell a soap opera story, and I love to see it. It's so funny to me that people were looking closely enough at these draftings to even notice that the angle was slightly different than the realized building of the statue. I think it just shows how far some history nerds will go, and honestly I respect it. I really enjoyed seeing the design and engineering process of the Statue of Liberty. Often, I end up taking landmarks like that for granted rather than really recognizing that there was so much time and energy put into planning and building it. It feels like something that was always meant to be there, and often the process is overlooked for that reason.
Right off the bat the title of this article shocked me. As someone that loves American history, I am baffled by the fact that we are still finding things associated with one of the most famous statues in the world. As a gift from the French, I knew that the Statue of Liberty was not American made, but I had no idea that the original blueprints were in American hands and that there were blueprints that haven't been fully evaluated and studied before this article came out. I remember hearing stories years ago about how the Statue of Liberty was beginning to deteriorate and civilian access to the monument was going to have to be limited due to the engineering concerns of the time. I am not really sure what happened with that warning but I am glad it was figured out or fixed in some way. Overall, I found this article really interesting, I really liked how it went into more detail about Gustave Eiffel’s incredible accomplishments and some of the engineering challenges that the Statue’s team had to solve in order for it to last as long as it has.
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