The Smithsonian Castle in Washington, D.C., is displaying a nearly four-foot-tall scale model of the Statue of Liberty created by its original sculptor [1].
This prototype, known as a maquette, offers a direct connection to the creative process behind one of the most recognized monuments in the world. Because it was hand-finished by the artist, it reveals design choices and proportions that are often lost in the scale of the final copper monument.
Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi crafted the model circa 1875 [1]. He used the small-scale version to refine the monument's proportions and to present the face of Liberty to potential donors [2]. The model stands approximately four feet, or 1.2 meters, tall [1].
"The nearly four‑foot‑tall model was crafted by Bartholdi himself and offers a rare glimpse of his hand‑finished vision before the colossal copper statue was built," Karen Lemmey, Curator of Sculpture at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, said [1].
Bartholdi's use of the maquette was essential for the project's funding and engineering. By showing donors a physical representation of the statue, he was able to secure the necessary support to move from a prototype to the full-size version that now stands in New York Harbor [2].
The display at the Smithsonian Castle allows visitors to see the intricate details Bartholdi intended for the figure. This specific artifact serves as a historic record of the mid-1870s design phase, a period of intense planning before the monument's construction began [1].
“The nearly four‑foot‑tall model was crafted by Bartholdi himself”
The preservation and public display of the 1875 maquette highlight the transition from artistic conceptualization to industrial-scale engineering. By studying the prototype, historians can better understand how Bartholdi balanced the aesthetic requirements of a neoclassical sculpture with the practical needs of a massive copper structure.
