In the late 19th century, amidst the industrial fervor of America and the creative spirit of France, a monumental project took shape that would come to symbolize freedom, friendship, and the enduring bond between two nations. It began with a vision born in the minds of two men separated by an ocean but united in their ideals. In France, sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi dreamed of a colossal statue that would stand as a beacon of liberty, a gift to the United States from the people of France. Inspired by the classical art of ancient civilizations, Bartholdi envisioned a figure of a robed woman holding a torch high above her head, a symbol of enlightenment and progress.