We all have seen the famous statue of green complexion, but do you think that it was always green? Well, that is correct! The Statue of Liberty was once red before it became green. Let us take a colourful journey through the great history of the world-famous monument and learn about the history, science and transformation of The Statue of Liberty From Red to Green.
Statue of Liberty Fiery Beginnings
When the Statue of Liberty first arrived in the U.S. way back in 1885, she was indeed beautiful though not like many people might think. Made of copper, the statue at first had a reddish-brown colour. This reddish colour is the natural colour of freshly polished copper, just like a new penny.
The amount of copper used for that statue weighed in at a whopping 31 tons, which is essentially 62,000 pounds of pure copper! Can you just imagine that? So when the statue first was assembled, it gleamed with sunlight as if a giant copper penny, so there stood grandly upon Liberty Island. But after years passed Lady Liberty began to undergo a little makeover.
Statue of Liberty From Reddish-Brown to Green: What Happened?
So, how does our copper-clad lady turn green? Not by some person’s decision to paint her! It happens naturally over time through a chemical action known as oxidation. Copper tarnishes as it is exposed to air and water and creates a green-coloured layer known as a patina.
Dark, then brownish, it became blackish and slowly started turning green. The oxidation process of copper as well as the reaction of oxygen took some 20 to 30 years, which means that by the early 20th century, the Statue of Liberty had taken on her now-familiar green look with which we are acquainted.
The beauty of Patina: More than just a pretty face.
While the fade of that red to green by the Statue of Liberty may seem slow, much is still going on that isn’t quite as obvious. The green patina, covering the statue, serves a very vital function, protecting the layer below. Ah yes, preventing further corrosion of the copper underneath keeps the statue in such fine fettle for generations to come.
The patina layer, in essence, arrested the wearing process of the statue, providing it with much longer durability over the weather conditions of New York Harbor. That natural shield of green has provided this statue with the ability to stand upright for more than 135 years-thereby facing all sorts of weather, saltwater, rain, snow, and even more from Mother Nature.
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Why wasn’t the Statue of Liberty repainted?
Perhaps you are curious why no effort was made to maintain the original copper-red hue of the statue. The transformation was certainly dramatic! At the time, however, there was less fuss about the colour change. Indeed, the green patina became part of the beauty of the statue and a reminder of her strength.
The general public was largely against cleaning up the statue and restoring her reddish colour in 1906 when the subject first arose. This was because people had grown accustomed to viewing the Lady Liberty with her green tinge and took the green discolouration as a sort of characteristic of her; some people even claimed that removing the patina would allow moisture into the copper and hasten the eventual collapse.
The Legacy of Statue of Liberty
Today, the Statue of Liberty has come to represent freedom and hope and a welcome message to millions of people in the world. And her colour-green-parks the imagination along with that of her enormous height and torch of liberty. As visitors surge in from every corner of the globe to behold the beauty of this statue, it becomes very hard for most to imagine it otherwise.
It’s almost surreal to think that something as mundane as a chemical reaction gave us one of the world’s most iconic sights. The next time you look up at Lady Liberty holding her green wreath so high, remember she once was a vibrant red, shining brightly to New York’s sunlight.
Final Thoughts: A Colorful Story Of Statue of Liberty
Interestingly in itself, the colour change of the Statue of Liberty story reminds us how time and nature really can shape the world around us: from a reddish-brown copper monument to a sturdy symbol of strength, courtesy of her protective green patina.
Whether you are seeing her for the first time or looking at a picture of her, knowledge of this history adds a little more depth to the beauty and grandeur of Lady Liberty. So, next time when you visit, you’ll impress your friends with the fun fact that she was red before she turned into the green symbol of freedom that we all know and love today!
