Auguste Bartholdi - Sculptor

Auguste Bartholdi was born on 2 August 1834 in Colmar (that's a very pretty place in the Alsace region if you ever get a chance to visit!). Bartholdi is mostly known for designing the Statue of Liberty (inaugurated in 1886), which as we all know, was a gift from France to the United States.

The U.S. reciprocated with a gift that would celebrate the Franco-American friendship and commissioned a statue from sculptor Bartholdi as well! And what better manifestation of this friendship than George Washington and the Marquis de La Fayette shaking hands?

The statue was unveiled in 1895 in Paris 16th arrondissement and five years later, a copy was placed in La Fayette Square, Morningside Heights, New York City! Similarly, one can see several copies of the Statue of Liberty in Paris!🥂