Was the inspiration for the Statue of Liberty a Muslim woman? Researchers say French sculptor turned ‘veiled peasant’ designed for the Suez canal into Lady Liberty
- Before he worked on the Statue of Liberty, Frederic Auguste Bartholdi proposed a design for the Suez Canal
- A sketch of the sculpture, which was never made, shows a veiled Arab peasant woman holding up a torch, guarding the man-made canal
- Some experts believe that Bartholdi repurposed his idea for the Suez canal sculpture for the State of Liberty
- This contradicts the long-held account that Bartholdi’s mother was the inspiration for the copper statue
DailyMail: The Statue of Liberty, a symbol of democracy and freedom that has greeted countless immigrants to US shores, was inspired by a project representing an Arab woman guarding the Suez Canal, researchers said.
The recent findings are especially startling for some in the United States amid a heated debate over the arrival of refugees from war-scarred Syria and other Muslim majority countries.
French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, who traveled to Egypt in 1855-1856, developed there a ‘passion for large-scale public monuments and colossal sculptures,’ said the U.S. National Park Service, which guards the Statue of Liberty in New York.
Categories: Faith, Interfaith America, The Muslim Times, United States