PhotosNew York Sights and Sounds
Saturday, December 5th, 2009The breathtaking views of New York City just continues to amaze. Indulge in the city of the Statue of Liberty
From Bedloe’s Island to Liberty Island
Saturday, November 14th, 2009As stated earlier, the Statue of Liberty although an effort totally initiated by the French, the United States had a vital part to play in completing it. The United States was responsible for building the pedestal based on what was once known as Bedloe’s Island but now famously called Liberty Island. Today we will look at the history behind this wonderful island from its post 1600 era to our present day.
Before the 1600s Oyster’s Island was known to the Mohegan Indians as the Minnissais known in other words as the “lesser islands”. The English then seized this island from the Indians and was later sold to Isaac Bedloo a local businessman in 1668. In 1732, Bedloo’s daughter sells the island that was first used as a quarantine station by the city of New York. Archibald Kennedy of the British Navy buys the island again for a hundred pounds in 1746, builds upon it a lighthouse and renames it Kennedy Island. Between 1759 and 1760 New York State buys the island again for a 1000 pounds, builds a hospital and preserves the name Bedloe Island. The British recapture the island in 1776 and burn all that was upon it. In 1780, the island was rebuilt and used as an oyster harvesting resort. In 1793 it was given as a loan to the French fleet for an isolation station and hospital. In the 1800s New York cedes the island for military purposes; the United States government constructs Fort Wood as a base in a frame of an 11-point star completed in 1811 and manned during the war in 1812. This begins a 50-year occupation of the island where pirates were hanged and POWs of the confederate army were kept. In 1871 Bartholdi makes his famous trip to New York City and selects this site as the spot for the placement of the pedestal and statue. In 1877 Congress authorizes New York Statue for the Statue of Liberty and in 1884 excavation began for the foundation of a pedestal designed by Richard Hunt.
Note: All information gathered gives credit to Gary Feuerstein of endex.com
Where would the Funds come from?
Saturday, November 7th, 2009Knowing what this statue would entail for its construction, the French elite in the likes of Bartholdi and Labouye decided to come up with mechanisms to pay for the statue. A member of the Franco-American Union in which these men were a part of decided to use lottery as a means of raising funds with the prizes works of Bartholdi (Oh Ranger). Models of the statue were sold in both the United States and France with almost a million dollars raised by 1879. While efforts were underway in France, across the Atlantic there were several deliberations going on to assist in raising the funds for the statue in New York; however, with failed attempts. Even the congress rejected a bill for assistance to the project. So with faith waning and skepticism about who should take control of the monetary aspects of this huge project, there had to be a way to regenerate public enthusiasm.
A simple effort came from a Hungarian named Pulitzer, an immigrant owner of several newspaper franchises. His helping hand knowing that the project was on the brinks gave it renewed life. Oh ranger indicates that Pulitzer used this effort to “raise funds for the statue, to increase his newspaper’s circulation and to blast the rich for their selfishness”. To increase circulation and contributions, he promised to publish the names of every single contributor in the pages of the “World” no matter the size of the contributions. This spurred interest and contributions into the efforts to construct the statue. The effort was achieved on August 11, 1885 as over a hundred thousand dollars was raised by various contributions (Oh Ranger).
Construction of the Statue
Saturday, October 31st, 2009Complexities in mounting the Statue of Liberty
Spirit Behind the Statue of Liberty
Saturday, October 17th, 2009The passion that drove the spirit of America
Edouard Rene Lefevre de Laboulaye
Saturday, September 5th, 2009Historians date American-Franco relations as far back as the Sixteenth Century. Maybe memories of the Glorious Revolution, the French Indian wars, King Williams’s and Queen Anne’s War might recall these incidences. However concrete seeds were sown when alliances were made after the United States declared their independence from Britain and had to recruit men like Marquis de Lafayette, a Frenchman, to fight on their behalf. Lafayette was even a close friend of George Washington (Oh Ranger). The Frenchmen adored the American Revolution, their fight to abolish slavery and proclaim a free world.
This was just one of their usual discussions around the dinner table noting the year 1865 when the American Civil War ended and President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Emancipation Proclamation and was also shot dead. Just in this case with Edouard Rene de Laboulaye, it was him hosting this dinner full of intellectuals and lecturing about the “genuine flow of sympathy” between the two sister countries. It was in this meeting that he lamented “wouldn’t it be wonderful if people in France gave the United States a great monument as a lasting memorial to independence and thereby showed that the French government was also dedicated to the idea of human liberty?” Little did he realize how this was going to affect the mind of Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi.
Laboulaye was born January 18, 1811 in Versailles, France. He studied law while pursuing other trades. He followed his interest and was elected to the National Assembly. In 1875 he was elected a life senator. The French author wrote several books “Political History of the United States”, “The United States and France”, etc. He died on May 25, 1883 in Versailles (Virtualogy.com). We follow Laboulaye because he was the one that envisioned this idea of a monument as a gift for the anniversary of the United States Independence. Before Bartholdi began putting his colossal work into reality, it was Laboulaye who because of his interest in United States Politics, wanted to show an unforgettable sign of friendship between the two sister countries.
Credits:http://everything2.com/title/Edouard+de+Laboulaye;http://www.famousamericans.net/edouardrenelefevrelaboulaye/
Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi
Sunday, August 30th, 2009Before we commence our journey into the various meanings and aspects of this statue, we must first look at the brainchild behind this colossal work of art.
He was born in Colmar, Alsace on April 2, 1834. His father was a rich landowner but died when Frederic was two years old so he was raised by his mother Charlotte. He went to Paris to further study Architecture and painting which began his career.
His first major work was done at the age of 18 for General Jean Rapp, a leader of Napoleon Bonaparte’s army, a son of Colmar. The statue standing at 12 feet tall established his reputation for patriotic works of art. Other works of art include the “Monument to Martin Schongauer” in 1863 and the “Vercingetorix” in 1872.
His passion for colossal works of art came on a trip to Egypt where he saw overwhelming sized pyramids and the Sphinx. This transformed his perspective on art and led him to indulge in the art of colossal monuments leading to his design of the “Statue of Liberty”
Bartholdi died in Paris from tuberculosis on October 4, 1904.
Credits:http://www.ohranger.com/statue-liberty/history-statue-liberty
The Statue of Liberty
Saturday, August 8th, 2009The Statue of Liberty is one of the most famous statues in the world today. Presented as a gift by the French people to the United States to celebrate its centennial in 1886, this object has a long tale. From the creators, sculptors, fundraisers by kids, to the shipping of the molds to be assembled and completed in the United States, there is so much to learn about this classical Roman statue. It’s symbolism is very significant in our global community today and as we proceed week after week, keep watch as we learn about this amazing artwork of our times. Every week will be a different focus as we drill down in history and discover what each section adds to this monument.This week is all about photos so check em out and give me your feed back!
New York Tours
Friday, July 31st, 2009Many are aware but only a few eyes have seen and a few individuals have tasted the diverse, breathtaking, and intriguing activities that exist in the state of New York. The word is out therefore millions heed to the call of this exciting city that lives up to the mantra “the city that never sleeps”. The fascinating Statue of Liberty shows the enlightenment of the city and draws a sense of freedom, liberty and justice alluding to the entire nation. Miss Liberty is definitely a sight to see. Broadway, the theatre and the historic nature of the street keeps the vibe alive all night long. Talk about digital screens coming to life “Times Square” known as a world landmark keeps the beat rolling.
Interestingly, the city of New York has been scrambling to show the world its true wealth through exciting tours that will cover the wide range of diversity they hold. Be it tours in the Statue of Liberty, a tour on the Harbor Cruise, Geologic tours, tours on the Adirondack, Bicycle tours, Museum tours, tours along the Hudson river and wine tours in the middle of wine country, Geneva, someone is there to satisfy your every need.
Quite recently two beautiful ladies from our own Tourico Holidays got tired of all the rumbling that went with this city and decided to take a tour of their own. What better choice than a two hour tour under the auspices of City Food Tours & Events for just fifty bucks. According to Karly, they met a very knowledgeable tour guide in the Verdi Park area who gave an interesting history of the Upper West Side area for about 15 minutes. The focus was mostly about Desserts and wine and covered a ten block area. Lisa and Karly toured boutique bakeries and chocolate shops which they both claimed made it more personable. They were given lectures about the intricate histories of these shops by the owners. They enjoyed wine tasting and were both impressed with the tour.
Asked both about their utmost impressions of the tour and Lisa said “very personable, interesting and knowledgeable” and Karly affirmed “very impressed with the knowledge of the individuals”.
This is only a fingertip of the multitude of experiences one can have in New York and we have these two gorgeous women to prove that there is far much more to New York. Are you planning to see this ever grinding city? Drop me a note and tell me what you think. Kind acknowledgements to Lisa Gingras of the Data Entry department and Karly Knuckles of our Human Resources department. You can find more information @ Chocolate, Desserts & Wine Tour of the Upper West Side
Activities
History
