Shannon Stirnweis (American, B. 1931) "Statue of Liberty" Signed center left. Original Oil painting on Illustration Board. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. The Lady, the Goddess, Miss Liberty -- she has been called many names, but she has always been the symbol of freedom. Our grand Lady of the Harbor evokes the hopes and dreams of all those who gaze upon her brilliant face and flock to her open shores. The Statue was a gift from France to the people of the United States -- whose striving for liberty and social justice helped inspire the French in their own search for liberty. To help bring the vision of the statue to reality, the French government enlisted the help of a young sculptor, Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. Initially given the name Liberty Enlightening the World, Bartholdi envisioned the statue to embody the everlasting spirit of Liberty, which would serve as an inspiration for all nations, for all peoples, for all times. After experimenting with several models, Bartholdi revealed the statue in her final form: a serene but forceful woman in classical garb, with an upheld torch of freedom, a crown of radiant light, with chains of bondage broken at her feet, and a sacred tablet inscribed with the date of the Declaration of Independence. Since her dedication in 1886, the Statue of Liberty has stood proudly in New York Harbor, beckoning the thousands of immigrants from faraway lands to her free and prospering shores. The story of over one hundred million Americans literally cannot be told apart from the story of the Statue of Liberty. Image Size: 13.25 x 16 in. Overall Size: 18.25 x 22 in. Unframed. (B10324)