Bedloe's Island had been a military outpost, and it would become a great landmark when it became home to the Statue of Liberty.
Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi sailed to New York in June 1871, intent on promoting his plan to build a statue celebrating liberty while touring the United States.
When he arrived he was impressed by the bustling seaport, and when his ship approached Manhattan Bartholdi spotted an island in the middle of the harbor that struck him as an ideal spot to place the statue he wanted to build. Any ship containing immigrants to the new world had to pass the island.
The island, before it held the Statue of Liberty, can be seen in the center of this lithograph, surrounded by ships.
Bedloe's Island was owned by the United States government, a fact which thrilled Bartholdi. It held a small fort which was not considered useful, and Bartholdi was hopeful the government would let him build the statue on the island.
That summer Bartholdi toured the nation, armed with letters of introduction that allowed him to meet prominent citizens. He even visited President Ulysses S. Grant at his summer home in New Jersey.
Everywhere Bartholdi went he talked about his proposed statue. And Americans were enthusiastic about the idea. Yet by the time Bartholdi returned to France he hadn't been able to raise the funds to translate his grandiose idea into reality.
Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi sailed to New York in June 1871, intent on promoting his plan to build a statue celebrating liberty while touring the United States.
When he arrived he was impressed by the bustling seaport, and when his ship approached Manhattan Bartholdi spotted an island in the middle of the harbor that struck him as an ideal spot to place the statue he wanted to build. Any ship containing immigrants to the new world had to pass the island.
The island, before it held the Statue of Liberty, can be seen in the center of this lithograph, surrounded by ships.
Bedloe's Island was owned by the United States government, a fact which thrilled Bartholdi. It held a small fort which was not considered useful, and Bartholdi was hopeful the government would let him build the statue on the island.
That summer Bartholdi toured the nation, armed with letters of introduction that allowed him to meet prominent citizens. He even visited President Ulysses S. Grant at his summer home in New Jersey.
Everywhere Bartholdi went he talked about his proposed statue. And Americans were enthusiastic about the idea. Yet by the time Bartholdi returned to France he hadn't been able to raise the funds to translate his grandiose idea into reality.
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