Bartholdi asked the French engineer Gustave Eiffel to design a steel skeleton for the interior of the Statue of Liberty.
In 1881 Bartholdi approached Gustave Eiffel, who would later design and build the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and asked him to design a steel skeleton to hold the copper plates comprising the outer skin of the Statue of Liberty.
Eiffel, relying on his experience building steel bridges, came up with a brilliant design that could hold the weight of the statue while also withstanding the high winds it would encounter in New York harbor.
As the steel skeleton began to rise in Paris, parts of the statue were bolted to it. When it was to be reassembled in New York, rivets would be used to permanently bind the pieces together.
In this photo taken in Paris in 1882, the interior skeleton can be seen rising above the lower parts of the statue.
Note that the head and torch of the statue are present in the scene. After being displayed in Philadelphia and New York, the torch was shipped back to France to be united with the rest of the statue.
In 1881 Bartholdi approached Gustave Eiffel, who would later design and build the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and asked him to design a steel skeleton to hold the copper plates comprising the outer skin of the Statue of Liberty.
Eiffel, relying on his experience building steel bridges, came up with a brilliant design that could hold the weight of the statue while also withstanding the high winds it would encounter in New York harbor.
As the steel skeleton began to rise in Paris, parts of the statue were bolted to it. When it was to be reassembled in New York, rivets would be used to permanently bind the pieces together.
In this photo taken in Paris in 1882, the interior skeleton can be seen rising above the lower parts of the statue.
Note that the head and torch of the statue are present in the scene. After being displayed in Philadelphia and New York, the torch was shipped back to France to be united with the rest of the statue.