| Edification value |  |
|---|---|
| Entertainment value |  |
| Should you go? | |
| Time spent | 37 minutes (in the museum; far longer getting to and wandering around Liberty Island) |
| Best thing I saw or learned | I keep coming back to a pair of quotations. One was from an editorial from the Black-owned Cleveland Gazette from Nov. 27, 1886, that read, “Shove the Bartholdi Statue, torch and all, into the ocean until the ‘liberty’ of this country [exists for the] colored man.” Alongside that was a quote from Lillie Devereux Blake, president of the New York State Woman Suffrage Association, who said, “In erecting a Statue of Liberty embodied as a woman in a land where no woman has political liberty, men have shown a delightful inconsistency.” Cheers to this museum for celebrating the statue and what she means, while acknowledging that not everyone agreed, even back in 1886, that liberty was a done deal. |
Note: This review updates my review of the old Statue of Liberty Museum, dating from 2018, when the museum was located inside the Liberty’s pedestal.
Why Liberty?
We do not live in terribly allegorical times. Alas, this era rewards bluntness over allusion, and literalism rather than metaphor. How, then, can can one explain the enduring popularity of “Liberty Enlightening the World,” a very allegorical and symbolic symbol indeed, standing on an island in New York Harbor?
Because, judging from the insane queues of people who had journeyed from every corner of the world to go visit her inconvenient island, Lady Liberty remains exceedingly popular.
It’s stranger still because, when you think about it, “Liberty Enlightening the World” is a particularly 19th century sort of idea, obsolete in times where many both in the United States and outside it would question the mission statement.
With those thoughts on my mind, I semi-patiently queued, scrummed, went through airport-style security and boarded a ferry to cross the harbor to visit her, and the museum that tells her story.
The Statue’s Story
Surely everyone knows the story of the Statue of Liberty. Gift from France, colossal, New York Harbor. Immigrants. Lifting her lamp beside the golden door. Yadda yadda yadda.
The museum highlights five instrumental people, also immortalized in statues on Liberty Island:
- Edouard de Laboulaye: who dreamed her
- Auguste Bartholdi: who designed her
- Gustav Eiffel: who engineered her
- Joseph Pulitzer: who raised the money to give her a place to stand
- Emma Lazarus: who gave her her soul
Old Statue, New-ish Museum
The Statue of Liberty Museum occupies a purpose-built, very modern building on the northern edge of Liberty Island, as far from the statue as one can get without plunging into the harbor. Opened in 2019, it boasts a green roof, ample space for accommodating the huddled masses from the ferry, and fantastic views toward Manhattan, as well as of Lady Liberty’s rear.
The museum tells the story of the genesis, engineering, construction, and gifting of the statue, as well as her absolutely iconic role as a symbol of freedom, democracy, New York City, and the United States. Among other treasures, it includes the statue’s original lit-from-within torch, replaced during the 1986 rehabilitation of the Statue.
Some Things You’ll See
The museum’s spaces are open and airy, with ample windows admitting abundant natural light. It is well designed to accommodate the Liberty crowds — while there were a lot of people, it never felt overly busy. That’s probably because most visitors just do a cursory spin through and then head for the photo op on the other end of the island, and/or the pedestal or crown (separate entry fee required). Visitors follow a clear path that takes them through the full story of the Statue.
I highly recommend picking up the comprehensive self-guided audio tour upon arrival on Liberty Island. It includes a great museum guide as well as covering the island in general. It’s well done, entertaining and informative.
The museum balances the physical and the digital. It enables visitors to get up close and personal with a life-sized replica of Liberty’s face and her foot, and the old torch, as well as viewing one of the original plaster forms of an ear. This all drives home the size of the statue (46 meters, or 151 feet, 1 inch from torch to toe) and how much detail exists that’s simply invisible from the ground or sea.
It also features several touchscreens for those with the time or interest to dive deeper into the story. There are also kiosks where visitors can share their origins and stories and photos, for display on a giant projection. It’s an overused piece of museum tech, but the map showing where visitors come from is neat.
The museum’s displays feature interesting combinations of text and artifacts. They walk through the planning, designing, fundraising, and building of the Statue, as well as the celebrations that attended her unveiling. From there, the museum turns to Liberty as a symbol, and how she’s appeared over the years in souvenirs, popular culture, government propaganda, and advertising.
Barbie Liberty! Lego Liberty! And of course the unforgettable punch-line ending to the original “Planet of the Apes.”
Should You Visit the Statue of Liberty Museum?
The Statue of Liberty is an absolutely essential, unique, and iconic work of public art. She stands for some of the best aspirations of New York and the United States — and, arguably, humanity. There’s no emoji for the Public Library lions or the Met’s hippo mascot, or the Empire State Building. But 🗽.
I loved the Liberty Museum. It tells the story extremely well, and it’s not afraid to point out that even at the Statue’s unveiling, some thought that the US wasn’t doing so great on a “freedom and justice for all” front. Maybe we shouldn’t be all show-offy with our ginormous allegory to how enlightened and liberty-filled we are. Then again, Liberty’s not a destination (or a woman), but a journey, an ideal, an aspiration.
If you’re interested in Franco-American relations in the 19th century, allegory, public art, engineering, or immigration, you will enjoy the museum. If you like symbology you’ll also enjoy the museum’s exploration of the symbols associated with the Roman goddess Liberta as well as Masonic symbolism that Bartholdi explored for the statue.
The Statue of Liberty is always going to upstage her museum. But the museum does a fine job telling a story that combines imagination, engineering, and allegory. Moreover, Liberty is a twofer with Ellis Island, home of one of New York City’s very best museums.
For Reference:
| Address | Liberty Island, New York Harbor |
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| Website |
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| Cost | General Admission: Ferry fare plus museum entry $25 (includes both Liberty and Ellis Islands). Spring for an add-on, which will get you into a VIP line, totally worth it. Options include access to the pedestal or crown, or the terrific Ellis Island Hard Hat Tour. |
| Other Relevant Links | As noted just above, Ellis Island Hard Hat Tours are indeed fantastic. |
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