This Independence Day, a second Statue of Liberty will be erected on Ellis Island from July 1 to July 5.
Nicknamed “little sister,” the statue weighs 992 pounds and measures about 10 feet in length — a 1/16th-scale replica of the 1878 original which today resides on Liberty Island.
The bronze statue was lifted and loaded into a container at the National Museum of Arts and Crafts in downtown Paris on Monday at a special ceremony. It had been installed in the museum’s garden since 2011.
“The statue symbolizes freedom and the light around all the world,” Olivier Faron, general administrator of the CNAM, told CNN. “We want to send a very simple message: Our friendship with the United States is very important, particularly at this moment. We have to conserve and defend our friendship.”
The historic Statue of Liberty that arrived in 1886 was also meant to strengthen the friendship between France and the United States, at a time when Paris and Washington were slowly drifting apart.
Much like the origins of the original statue, the “little sister” will board a ship at the port city of Le Havre on June 19 and reach New York on July 1.
After its short display in New York, the replica will head to Washington, D.C., where it will be on display for 10 years at the French ambassador’s residence.
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