--- title: Statue of Liberty: See Photos From Before It Got to NYC description: Lady Liberty arrived in New York on June 17, 1885 canonical: https://time.com/3910750/statue-liberty-pictures/ author: Lily Rothman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-17T11:00:40.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:43:37.314Z article:section: History og:title: Statue of Liberty: See Photos From Before It Got to NYC og:description: It was displayed in Paris and Philadelphia before arriving in NYC in 1885 og:url: https://time.com/3910750/statue-liberty-pictures/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta02cd6047901edae/6988532f06f2c1d22b33a83d/150605-statue-of-liberty-10.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: The Statue Of Liberty & Liberty Island og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Statue of Liberty: See Photos From Before It Got to NYC twitter:description: It was displayed in Paris and Philadelphia before arriving in NYC in 1885 twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta02cd6047901edae/6988532f06f2c1d22b33a83d/150605-statue-of-liberty-10.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # See Early Photos of the Statue of Liberty Before It Came to New York > Sponsored content. 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Its journalism is reported and edited by a professional newsroom led by Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs, with named correspondents on politics, climate, health, technology and culture. It reaches 1 million US print subscribers and 1.15 million globally, plus more than 1.1 million newsletter readers. #### How do I subscribe to TIME magazine? Subscriptions are at time.com/subscribe-agent. Choose digital only at $20 a year, or print and digital from $29 a year or $49 for two years. TIME also publishes seven free email newsletters at time.com/newsletters, which do not require a subscription. #### Can I cancel a TIME subscription? Yes. TIME states that subscriptions can be cancelled at any time. #### Does TIME have free newsletters? Yes. TIME publishes seven free email newsletters reaching more than 1.1 million readers, covering daily news, Washington politics, health, AI, climate and energy, culture, and the newsroom itself. They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: Lower Manhattan: Before the Twin Towers [Watch (HLS stream): Lower Manhattan: Before the Twin Towers](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/f0MLXRWK.m3u8) (1:21)  _Published 2014-09-10. Black and white LIFE photos depict lower manhattan before the World Trade Center was constructed_  by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Jun 17, 2015 11:00 AM UTC  The Statue of Liberty seen on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, about a decade after her arrival, in 1898. The Statue of Liberty seen on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, about a decade after her arrival, in 1898. The New York Historical Society—Getty Images  by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Jun 17, 2015 11:00 AM UTC According to legend, the Statue of Liberty came to sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi as a vision: sailing into New York Harbor in 1870, the French artist suddenly imaged the persona of liberty welcoming him. He sketched out his idea and immediately began pitching it to influential New Yorkers and his powerful countrymen. Though the New Yorkers saw him as a dreamer, the French saw him as someone with a perfect idea for a 100th birthday present for the United States. When 1876 rolled around, however, Lady Liberty still a work in progress. Bartholdi sent her hand and torch to be displayed at the Philadelphia Exposition, while he and Gustave Eiffel (as in the Eiffel Tower) worked on engineering the rest of her. He finished the job in 1884 and displayed it in Paris while the U.S. readied the pedestal. Then, as TIME [recounted](http://time.com/vault/issue/1936-11-09/page/31/) in 1936, it was time to bring the statue across the Atlantic: --- > “” --- It was 130 years ago today, on June 17, 1885, that the ship and its precious cargo reached New York—and another year before reassembly was complete and the finished product could be unveiled. **_Read coverage from 1986 of the effort to refurbish the statute, here in the TIME Vault:_** [A Pair of American Islands](http://time.com/vault/issue/1986-07-07/page/20/) ### The Face of Freedom: LIFE Portraits of the Statue of Liberty  Statue of Liberty, 1951. Margaret Bourke-White—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Statue of Liberty, 1946. Andreas Feininger—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Statue of Liberty, 1950. Margaret Bourke-White—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Statue of Liberty, 1956. Dmitri Kessel—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Statue of Liberty, 1951. Margaret Bourke-White—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Statue of Liberty, 1959. Stan Wayman—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Harry Belafonte speaks at a civil rights rally at the Statue of Liberty, 1960. Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Korea's Children's Choir visits the Statue of Liberty, 1954. Peter Stackpole—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Statue of Liberty, 1931. Pictures Inc.—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Statue of Liberty, 1961. Howard Sochurek—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Statue of Liberty, 1939. Margaret Bourke-White—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Statue of Liberty, unknown date. Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Statue of Liberty and New York Harbor, 1939. Margaret Bourke-White—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Statue of Liberty seen during World War II, 1942. Andreas Feininger—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images _Read next:_ [_9 Little Known Places to Visit in New York City (That Aren’t Tourist Traps)_](http://time.com/3633782/places-visit-new-york-city/?iid=time%5Freadnext) [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/autoplay/?xid=spl-fullbrief-article)  The hand and torch of the Statue of Liberty on display at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition, in Philadelphia, ten years before the rest of the statue was completed. MPI—Getty Images  The head of the Statue of Liberty on display in the garden at the Champ de Mars at the World's Fair in Paris to drum up support and contributions for the completion of the great project, 1878. FPG—Getty Images  View of portions of the Statue of Liberty during its construction in the workshop of French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi (seen at left) in Paris circa 1880. Musee Bartholdi/Authenticated News—Getty Images  Segments of the Statue of Liberty during its construction in the workshop of French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, in Paris circa 1880. Hulton Archive—Getty Images  The construction of the Statue of Liberty in Paris, before its journey to the United States, circa 1883. Hulton Archive—Getty Images  The Statue of Liberty enclosed by scaffolding, while under construction, seen from the Rue de Chazelles, in Paris circa 1884 Paul-Joseph-Victor Dargand/Frederic Lewis—Getty Images  The left hand of the Statue of Liberty under construction, circa 1884. Hulton Archive—Getty Images  The framework for the right arm of the Statue Of Liberty during construction in Paris, circa 1885. Hulton Archive—Getty Images  The feet of the Statue of Liberty arrive on Liberty Island in 1885. Universal History Archive—UIG via Getty Images  The Statue of Liberty seen on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, about a decade after her arrival, in 1898. 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