Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Statue Week: Some Statue of Liberty Items

Ever since Charlton Heston cried “Damn you!” at the end of the original Planet of the Apes, there have been altered depictions of the Statue of Liberty. This is not a catalogue of them all, just some interesting glimpses, plus some factlets ...

“Damn you! God damn you all to Hell!”


A further bikini pic. Gives a new meaning to Woody Allen’s comment about the S of L.

Weeping Angel

This image comes from the Doctor Who TV series, where the Weeping Angels are an ancient race of nasty aliens. When observed, they become “quantum locked”, becoming stone. Hence numerous statues are actually Weeping Angels who come to life when not observed. If Weeping Angels look at each other, they both become locked, so they often cover their eyes, which makes them look as though they are weeping. The Statue of Liberty is a Weeping Angel that has been virtually permanently locked because it is always being looked at. 
The image has been widely used to illustrate current event issues and stories about 9/11.

The sponsorship version

During WW1, Arthur Mole and John Thomas made a series of “living photographs”, patriotic pics of icons and images made by the placement of thousands of soldiers. Mole took the photographs, and organised the men, from a 25m viewing platform. The Statue of Liberty was photographed at Camp Dodge using 18,000 men. Here is a detail:


The Statue of Liberty was gifted to the US by the people of France. Dedicated in 1886,it depicts a robed female figure representing Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom. Upon the btablet she holds, which is representative of the law, is inscribed the date of the American Declaration of Independence: 4 July 1776. Liberty wears chains on her feet, the chains having been broken as a symbol of freedom from bondage and slavery.

The original statue stands in the Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris. It is a bronze model used by the statue’s designer Frederic Bartholdi as part of the preparatory work for the New York statue. Bartholdi offered it to the Luxembourg museum in 1900 and it was placed in the park in 1906. The date written on this statue's tablet (where the New York statue has "JULY IV MDCCLXXVI") is "15 novembre 1889" (November 15, 1889), the date at which the larger Parisian replica was inaugurated.

The above image, known as Liberty Kiss, has been adopted as a symbol of Liberty and Justice by the Gay Rights movement.


If the apocalypse happens, stay away from the Statue of Liberty


1 comment:

  1. I find the use of soldiers to create the SOL uncomfortable. Hadn't they been through enough?

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