Is the Statue of Liberty actually a MAN?
A new theory suggests the 151ft figure, that has stood at the entrance to New York harbour for 130 years, is male
A JAW-DROPPING new theory suggests the Statue of Liberty is actually a man – not a female sculptor as is widely believed.
Elizabeth Mitchell, an author and journalist, believes Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the French creator of the 151ft figure that has stood at the entrance to New York harbour for 130 years, may have used his brother Jean-Charles as inspiration.
It was originally thought the piece, officially titled Liberty Enlightening the World, was based on his mum Beysser Charlotte.
Elizabeth told : “As I was looking at it more carefully, the structure of the face isn’t really the same.
“[His mum] has a more arched eyebrow, has a thinner nose, has thinner lips, even in her youth. And he was a bust-maker … and was known for his accuracy.”
She added: “Going through photos he had in his files of his brother, I started to look at the face more carefully, and it really did look to be like Liberty.
“His brother in his adult years had actually gone mad, and it was Bartholdi’s task to go once a week to visit, sometimes [spending] hours just staring at his brother, who was not speaking.”
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The shocking idea is set out in a new series of Secrets of America’s Favourite Places, which will be broadcast on the Discovery Channel tomorrow.
Historians have long wondered who served as a model for the copper statue.
Liberty is frequently portrayed as a woman, dating back to the Libertas, the Roman goddess.
The programme also reveals that the iconic artwork was an early example of a crowdfunded project.
It was created with money raised from the French public rather than a gift from the country's authoritarian government.