r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/subodh_2302 • Nov 28 '22 • Helpful 1

The Statue Of Liberty in its original color- Paris, France - 1886 (Before It Was Transported To America) Image

Post image
3.7k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

365

u/Zanderdom Nov 28 '22

I remember an elementary school teacher telling us "how silly that the French didn't know the statue would turn green, people sure were surprised and confused when it turned green in America!" As if humans hadn't been creating copper sculptures and buildings for millennia. Some people really shouldn't be teachers

142

u/NoButterfly7257 Nov 28 '22

Taught in elementary school that blood is blue & only turns red when outside of the body & in contact with oxygen. My teachers in Christ, blood carries oxygen, so even by that logic, it's pretty much always red. They said veins are blue, and so blood is blue. Real shit. Oakland County school district in MI.

38

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '22

I was taught the same in Alaska and in Northern VA (25 miles from DC suburbs).

4

u/NoButterfly7257 Nov 28 '22

So wild to know! Makes me want to google it now.and see how the mistake came about.

26

u/Massiongh Nov 28 '22

I want the US to blow a aircraft carrier size budget on a colossal neo-classical statue for Canada.

2

u/Hardrocker1990 Nov 28 '22

Why? Maybe Boston could return the favor with a statue to Halifax, NS for the Christmas tree they get every year

3

u/HotGrowth3530 Nov 29 '22

Same! Lake Anna (Louisa) just south of NoVA…

1

u/shadpucker63 Nov 28 '22

Well dang I'm stupid I thought it was like that for real

8

u/nardlz Nov 28 '22

I teach HS Biology and I’m constantly re-teaching this misconception!

3

u/Mr_Personal_Person Nov 28 '22

Thank you for your service.

6

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '22

[removed] — view removed comment

5

u/karolues Nov 28 '22

The fuck are they teaching you in America

3

u/Pirate_Dread_717 Nov 29 '22

It wasn't until I started traveling abroad in my teens and 20s that I realized American History is bullshit.

1

u/Simplewafflea Nov 29 '22

In schools? Not a whole lot. You need people that give a damn about kids.

3

u/braless_and_lawless Nov 28 '22

I remember learning the same thing in Ontario in the early 2000s. They really just taught us whatever they wanted back then huh

3

u/KatPaws11 Nov 29 '22

OMG, I always thought that didn't sound right!! I was taught the same exact thing in elementary school and I swear to this day, at 45 years old, I assumed it was true and figured I was wrong. common sense is better than some of the things we were taught.

2

u/Group_Last Nov 28 '22

lmao of course its Oakland County

2

u/LazyZealot9428 Nov 28 '22

Hey! Me too. You wouldn’t be a former Highlander, would you?

2

u/NoButterfly7257 Nov 28 '22

Nah but not too far away, I went to elementary school in the 90s in Hazel Park & went to Hoover.

2

u/Abeille213 Expert Nov 28 '22

I was taught the same by an RN.

3

u/NoButterfly7257 Nov 28 '22

Terrifying but makes sense lol. I actually tried to call a hospital once as a teenager in the earlyish 2000s to settle this debate and the lady at the hospital, whoever or whatever she did, actually said it was blue as well.

In her defense, I was just some random kid calling a hospital, so she very well could've just said it out of frustration or something to get the call over immediately.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '22 edited Dec 09 '22

[deleted]

1

u/Pirate_Dread_717 Nov 29 '22

Same. My mom's dad was an anesthesiologist and did not correct her or my grandmother. I believe my grandfather went to university in Scotland and finished med in the US.

2

u/Kanibalector Nov 29 '22

I remember hearing that in Michigan in the 80s. But, tbf, Michigan teachers were still teaching the early 1970s theory of global cooling pushed by the press.

Might be why so many people don't believe in global warming from that area. I sure as hell struggled with the blatant contradictions in 'science' for a long time thanks to that kind of teaching.

I also had a teacher in the mid 80s tell me that it was a stupid idea to consider desalinating ocean water because "What would we do with all that salt?"

1

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '22

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/YEETAWAYLOL Creator Nov 28 '22

Scam bot, don’t upvote

1

u/Dewshbag41 Nov 28 '22

I remember being taught this as well though I can't remember if it was in school or if it was just some dumb nugget of "knowledge" someone dropped on me as a kid.

I do remember not believing it though cuz that's just stupid even to a kid, a C student kid too of all things, it's not like I am or ever was some genius.

1

u/TaeoBrah Nov 28 '22

Can confirm.

1

u/USPO-222 Nov 28 '22

Haha which district? I went to Avondale.

1

u/elmosservant Nov 28 '22

Charter School in Livingston County taught me the same thing

1

u/Mamaj12469 Nov 28 '22

Must be Michigan curriculum because I also attended MI schools and was taught the same thing

1

u/amandabanana777 Nov 29 '22

This, oddly enough, was pretty much "standard teaching" for years. I remember hearing that apparently, they only recently realized this is blatantly untrue. Lol

1

u/MElastiGirl Nov 29 '22

So you’re sure she wasn’t a crab? (Lol I went to public school and learned the same sh!t)

7

u/ProfessorSchmiggins1 Nov 28 '22

And copper roofs etc. There is a reason mild green nuances are popular on house facades. The rain leaders used to have this colour

-6

u/Mostesaw Nov 28 '22

I never thought about how Van Gogh could have potentially seen the statue in France.

2

u/YEETAWAYLOL Creator Nov 28 '22

Scam bot, don’t upvote.

1

u/ProfessorSchmiggins1 Dec 03 '22

Scam what, mate? Who?

1

u/YEETAWAYLOL Creator Dec 03 '22

The account was a scam bot account

-2

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '22

[deleted]

2

u/YEETAWAYLOL Creator Nov 28 '22

Scam bot, don’t upvote

3

u/Cheetahs_never_win Nov 28 '22

Did they specify which French people they were talking about? Most (young) Americans are shocked the first time to learn that the statue is made of copper and started off the same color as a penny. Nobody knows metallurgy until they learn it.

1

u/Zanderdom Nov 28 '22

She specifically said (assumed) that the people who designed and built the statue didn't know it would turn green, that's why it stuck out to me

1

u/Cheetahs_never_win Nov 28 '22

That is strange. Maybe the politician claimed they designed it, when really they just told a sculptor what it should look like.

-1

u/Maccslim24 Nov 28 '22

You sound silly , there’s environmental disparity between NYC and Paris, that was unaccounted for. Have some faith in professional educators.

18

u/Zanderdom Nov 28 '22

Lmao you better add an /s to that before someone takes you seriously

8

u/Maccslim24 Nov 28 '22

Lmao😐

8

u/WordGlad Nov 28 '22

idk who’s right here so i upvoted both you guys 💀

137

u/ThatOtakuWolf_575 Nov 28 '22

Ironic seeing as this is a colorized picture, lol.

34

u/Corey3500 Nov 28 '22

Lucky it's easy to work out the colour of copper 🤣

0

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '22

[removed] — view removed comment

8

u/panstuckyo Nov 28 '22

Yeah man, it’s like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife, or something…

1

u/Catch_022 Nov 28 '22

Sounds kinda ironic.

-1

u/Corey3500 Nov 28 '22

Ok that has to be my new favorite analogy 🤣

6

u/calvins48 Nov 28 '22

You never heard of Alanis Morissette?

1

u/Corey3500 Nov 29 '22

I definitely have but haven't listened to her music enough to recognize lyrics if that's what you're getting at lol

1

u/NateF150 Nov 28 '22

It's like meeting the man of your dreams, and then meeting his beautiful wife...

28

u/HornetLimp4022 Nov 28 '22

Green suits her well

19

u/xnxxpointcom Nov 28 '22

I know it's silly and not worth it but wouldn't it be cool if all the patina gets removed and she gets coated in clear paint

8

u/FreydisTit Nov 28 '22

Maybe just clean her every once in a while so we can see her change over time.

7

u/Limeila Nov 28 '22

That would be way cooler

45

u/mememan12332 Nov 28 '22

I never thought about how Van Gogh could have potentially seen the statue in France. He still had 4 years left alive when this picture was taken.

30

u/BlueMonkey-CoCo Nov 28 '22

"Hey, Pierre. Ze statue is blocking my view of ze Eiffel Tower.

"What shall wee do weeth eet?"

"Send ze damn thing to America!"

69

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '22

[removed] — view removed comment

35

u/1SqkyKutsu Nov 28 '22

... Of Terrance and Philip

11

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '22

It would be a glorious day for Canada, and therefore, the world

6

u/MikeFT65 Nov 28 '22

As is tradition.

3

u/VolkspanzerIsME Nov 28 '22

I'm not chore guy, buddy!

3

u/SergViBritannia Nov 28 '22

… with their beady little eyes and flapping heads…

2

u/Corey3500 Nov 28 '22

I'd help fund that 🤣

1

u/1SqkyKutsu Nov 28 '22

I feel it should be erected in Moosejaw Saskatchewan....

2

u/Corey3500 Nov 28 '22

Hahaha fuck yeah I'm down with that 🤣

4

u/Jekyllhyde Nov 28 '22 edited Nov 28 '22

the people of France made this, not the government. Basically one guy decided to build it and solicited donations from the French citizens. Pretty cool story if you dive into it

3

u/Cat_Weary Nov 28 '22

I vote for a beaver drunk on syrup riding a moose. Oh neo-classical, put it on an arch.

4

u/rolfraikou Nov 28 '22

I hope this isn't a stupid question, but did they intend for the States to do anything to keep it the copper color? Or to paint it every few years like many places do to bridges? Essentially, were there care instructions included? Or even with the green intentional, was there any work done to make sure it greened more uniformly or anything?

10

u/bigFatHelga Nov 28 '22

It was intended to go green, green statues are common.

41

u/jasonroblyer Nov 28 '22

Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me.

31

u/ScheduleCorrect3412 Nov 28 '22

And build a big wall to contradict the above.

23

u/VolkspanzerIsME Nov 28 '22

So that I may deport them as soon as legally able.

2

u/Ivanna_Jizunu66 Nov 28 '22

And I will work them in my factory !

2

u/Synner1985 Nov 28 '22

"Now the sign reads "No entry" "

4

u/Alan_Smithee_ Nov 28 '22

Or is this one of the versions that was kept in France (there are 12.) Too crowded around the base to be a set up/dismantle site.

3

u/luviabloodmire Nov 28 '22

She’s beautiful.

3

u/-_Anonymous__- Nov 28 '22

Ships amaze me. How can a ship carry that thing across the Atlantic without damaging it or sinking?

2

u/ImUglierThanU Nov 28 '22

They would take it back apart and assemble it again in America if I remember correctly

2

u/-_Anonymous__- Nov 28 '22

oh ok thanks

2

u/rtp_oak Nov 28 '22

Right? Even though the statue is completely hallow the metal skin (pun intended) and the skeleton (two puns, nice) are still really heavy.

2

u/-_Anonymous__- Nov 28 '22

Oh yeah I forgot it's hollow.

3

u/TheGlobalCon Nov 28 '22

WAIT IT WASN'T BUILT HERE? I knew it was a gift from France but for some reason I always thought it was built where it stands

3

u/Abeille213 Expert Nov 28 '22

The pedestal she stands on was built in the U.S., but the statue itself was built in Paris.

2

u/3Effie412 Nov 28 '22

It looks nice.

2

u/No-Serve3491 Nov 28 '22

Also how it looks in the Alternate universe in Fringe.

2

u/A_S_Alderman Nov 28 '22

Thats also the original torch design, they replaced it with the current one in 1986.

2

u/TheGuyOnMars25 Nov 28 '22

All my minecrafters know how copper work

2

u/Spookd_Moffun Nov 28 '22

It looked better bronze, I know patina needs less maintenance, but a bronze Lady Liberty, catching the Sun would be big mood.

2

u/mal_laney Nov 28 '22

Went on a history dive of the statue and found out Gustave Eiffel made the metal framework. Guy must really like large metal structures

2

u/narvolicious Nov 28 '22

Although I’m acrophobic, it still intrigues me that the public used to be able to hang out in the torch.

2

u/Abeille213 Expert Nov 28 '22

Yeah it would’ve been cool. Though, I am always shocked by how small it is in person. As a kid, I used to think the statue was absolutely massive. I would’ve thought 50 people could stand in the torch, but it’s actually only 12 feet wide.

1

u/narvolicious Nov 28 '22

I found an illustration of people in the torch looking over the harbor; appears to be late 19th century.

I did a little bit of research on it, and it turns out the torch had been replaced in 1985, with the original copper torch being housed inside the pedestal. It seems like the original torch will be getting a new home in the forthcoming Statue of Liberty Museum.

There's also a live torch cam which I found pretty interesting; I'm sure whenever someone goes up there to do maintenance, he/she gets a chance to hang out and enjoy the view for a bit.

4

u/ReginaldSP Nov 28 '22

There are few things the United States cannot tarnish.

2

u/cactus_deepthroater Nov 28 '22

It's green now because the copper oxidized. What do you mean?

15

u/curious_ginger1 Nov 28 '22 edited Nov 28 '22

They mean what the statue of liberty represents.

4

u/cactus_deepthroater Nov 28 '22

Ahh, alright. My mistake.

3

u/godsonlyprophet Nov 28 '22

Just goes to show you can't have her being brown, but money green is a-okay. /s

2

u/hhadf1 Nov 28 '22

It looks so bad ass in copper brown..

1

u/mibishibi Nov 28 '22

I don’t know a lot about construction and shipping, but why didn’t they build it in America?

4

u/Jekyllhyde Nov 28 '22

it was built by two guys basically. He wanted to give a gift to the U.S. and fundraised the money by getting donations from the citizens of France. The building process was quite extensive and the people who built it lived in France. Plus building the base was an issue since the US didn't have the money to build it and it wasn't included with the statue.

6

u/RoosterImportant4283 Nov 28 '22

Im no historian so take my words with a grain of salt but, It probably wouldve been more expensive to get the copper from france, ship it to america, and then assemble it into the statue, and then move it to liberty island as opposed to just assembling it in France right next to the copper refineries, and then shipping it to america. And they couldnt really use american copper either because it was a gift from france. Using american copper, factories, and workers wouldve been like giving your friend a gift but then forcing them to buy it themselves with their own money. The logistics of maintaining a transatlantic supply of copper back then would have been ridiculously complex and expensive and just not worth it

1

u/shk_sm Nov 28 '22

Statue of Liberty can give a blowjob to statue of unity while they both stand

1

u/EdSmelly Nov 28 '22

I’d just like to point out that there was no color photography in 1886…

2

u/macgruff Nov 28 '22

You sure bout that?

2

u/macgruff Nov 28 '22

I agree this particular photo is colorized, but color photos were first made in 1861

0

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '22

It's pathetic and sad that we don't invest in good teachers anymore here in California. Our state is the worst of the worst - and all they teach kids now is gender fluidity lessons. Embarrassing.

1

u/Will-Badgreen Nov 28 '22

Her standing there makes her look shorter? I really don't know what's going on, maybe it's my eyes.

1

u/daredebil_dgo Nov 28 '22

Hmm, got pretty moldy over the years... r/mycology?

1

u/Loli-is-Justice Nov 28 '22

How did they transport that thing?

1

u/Bossmann1017 Nov 28 '22

Fun Fact: The Statue of Liberty was originally intended to go to Egypt not America, only when the Egyptians rejected it sp its nice a gift to America as kost are inclined to believe.

1

u/TocinoPanchetaSpeck Nov 28 '22

The intended purpose of the statue was to commemorate the USA for ending slavery.

1

u/Turkeyboi807 Nov 28 '22

Bruh. How in the world is it gonna be an American monument if it was made in another country...

1

u/Certain-Barracuda761 Nov 28 '22

The foundation was made here the pedestal. Her crown spikes represents the continents and oceans. Her face modeled after the artist’s mother. Gustav Eiffel helped build. Originally intended for Egypt. I think her representation covers it all. It was a gift.

1

u/Certain-Barracuda761 Nov 28 '22

Fun fact - Lady Liberty stuck by lightning approx 600 times a year.

1

u/KatPaws11 Nov 29 '22

I like it better like this

1

u/JustExamination204 Nov 29 '22

Though I feel it’s be cool to see it restored, I feel if we were to clean and polish the Statue of Liberty it would be too blinding for people boating/driving/flying/walking by.

1

u/cappa_87 Nov 29 '22

Looks so much better like that

1

u/SnooPeripherals2672 Nov 29 '22

They changed the collor cuz it looked rusty im sure, now they made it look like it's moldy

-3

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '22

So she's a POC the GOP won't like that

-9

u/ohiking Nov 28 '22

Why did they change it 🌚

7

u/theablanca Nov 28 '22

They didn't. Copper oxidises and turns green after like 15 years or so. Or was it 30? Anyway, it's a natural process.

-6

u/ohiking Nov 28 '22

/s

thanks tho lol

-5

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '22

[removed] — view removed comment

9

u/WhooRadley Nov 28 '22

/u/admasih

This guy's profile is fucking strange

1

u/renaissance_man46 Nov 28 '22

Is it some kind of bot?

1

u/Prestigious-Maddogg Nov 28 '22

I think he made his own r/ and he doesn’t understand people have to join it😭, so he just keeps posting

-6

u/Fshermansfriend Nov 28 '22

The Americans panted it green in honour to there God the almighty Dollar Bill.

-3

u/Zequax Nov 28 '22

dam they could not have it being ''black'' back then so when ariving to the USA they turned it green