Early models of the sculpture were made out of clay. Then, sheets of copper were laid over wooden moulds based on the clay models and hen-beaten by metal workers into shape. Taking thousands of detailed measurements, the entire project took an estimated 21 years. The face of Lady Liberty was modelled after BARTHOLDI's own mother, with the rest of her body done in the ancient Roman style.

Besides the colossal one that stands on Liberty Island, there is a smaller version which stands at the roundabout entering into Colmar from the Wine Route. And an even smaller-scale model stands on the western end of the Seine River in Paris.

To give its full name, the statue is called "Liberty Illuminating the World" (1886). She stands 93 metres tall, with a waist 11 metres around and a greenish skin colour due to the oxidisation of the copper over the last century.

Presented by the French to the Americans on the 100th anniversary of their independence from Britain, the statue was assembled in France and then taken to pieces and shipped in 210 wooden cases across the Atlantic and reassembled.

Standing as a symbol of progress in the 19th century in building and engineering technology, it is a great feat of human ingenuity.

For the full story, check out BARTHOLDI'S house, 30 Rue des Marchands, which has now been converted into the Bartholdi Museum. It houses early models of the statue, including plans and documents.

Many of the exhibits here are the models prepared for much larger pieces, all of them signed by the artist. One can see the birth of the Statue of Liberty as an idea in the constant theme that runs through his work – an appreciation of freedom coupled with national pride. He was obviously deeply affected by the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, and you will notice his funerary monuments for the siege of Belfort and for the National Gardes de Colmar – arms rising from tombs holding broken swords and flags.

In the Jean-Claude Katz room, the visitor will find an exhibit of artifacts memorializing the Jewish population of Alsace.

Upstairs, you will find Bartholdi’s apartment, brought from Paris. Particularly interesting is the dining room: the walls and ceiling are decorated with plates and other pieces of china, most of which has the appearance of blue and white Delftware.

On the upper floor, you will find the American works. Americans today may forget how deeply the political philosophies of their nation run through French thought… witness two revolutions fought within a decade of each other. There are statues of Washington, Lafayette and Columbus as well as studies for the Statue of Liberty and photographs of its original fabrication in Paris. You will even see the document given to Bartholdi when he received the key to the City of New York.

I really enjoyed this museum… not only is it a retrospective of the work of a notable political thinker and artist, it strikes a responsive chord in the viewer.