Description: Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi discusses " ...the work in progress on the statue of Liberty" Bartholdi Frederic

2pp bifold ALS inscribed overall in French and signed by Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi as “Your friend, A. Bartholdi” at bottom of second page. On cream stationery with embossed monogram at top of first page. Bartholdi penned this letter to friend and fellow Franco-American Union member Georges Glaenzer on February 2, 1882 from Paris. In near fine condition, with expected light paper folds and a few stray pencil and red crayon marks. There is a small tear to the perforated paper edge at left that does not affect the text. Each page measures 5.875” x 8.125”.

“My dear friend,

I am sending you some photographs which show the work in progress on the statue of Liberty last October; I think they may interest the Committee. Please ask your dear father-in-law to present them; maybe they could even be reproduced for exhibition and for the illustrated press, as that would stimulate the public awareness and the fundraising.

I had word from Mr. Hunt about his activities; he has a suggestion that could be very effective – that is, to make the base a little larger and to soften its profile. I seriously urged him to cut down on the expensive materials and rather concentrate on a luxuriously pretty silhouette and a monumental overall line.

I thank you for the newspapers, my dear friend, which always bring back the fond memory of [you] … Please convey our most affectionate regards to the ones around you; despite the mass of water that separates us, the mind is easily with you and only the eyes are not happy … ”

In 1882, construction of the physical statue was well underway in Paris, and Franco-American Union members focused on fundraising for and the design of the pedestal. Bartholdi mentions enclosing photographs of the work in progress in this letter to Glaenzer. Bartholdi, an adept publicist, relied on the newer medium of photography for publicity purposes. French photographers Pierre Petit (1832-1909), Albert Fernique (1841-1898), and Charles Marville (1813-1879) captured most of the behind-the-scenes views of the Statue of Liberty that we have today. Their photography underscores the huge scale of the project, as well as the grueling manual labor necessary to achieve it.

Premier Gilded Age architect Richard Morris Hunt (1827-1895) was commissioned to design the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal. Hunt had the interesting task of merging the eleven-pointed star footprint of the disused fort already on Bedloe’s Island into an elegant Neo-Classical pedestal. In our letter, Bartholdi praised several of Hunt’s design improvements but noted that he had unreasonable expectations about costly materials. Indeed, sluggish fundraising efforts in the United States forced Hunt to reduce his proposed 114-foot-tall pedestal to 89 feet, and replace his intended solid granite base into a concrete one sheathed in granite.

Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi (1834-1904) studied painting, sculpture, and architecture under well-known instructors like Viollet-le-Duc in Paris. Following his service in the Franco-Prussian War, Bartholdi became increasingly interested in sculpting monumental works celebrating resistance against oppression, and Enlightenment ideals like Freedom. Bartholdi later conceived of the design of the “Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World”. The fundraising phase of this process would take years, and indeed long surpass the actual 100 th anniversary of the United States. Yet once it was installed in 1886, the massive 151-ft tall copper-clad sculpture of a standing woman would fundamentally change the cityscape.

Georges Auguste Glaenzer (1848-1915) was one of the people who made the project possible. In 1886, Glaenzer was a living in New York as a French expatriate. This Franco-Prussian War veteran transferred his interior decorating business to the United States in 1880, where he beautified the homes of affluent New Yorkers like the Vanderbilts. Glaenzer had numerous extra-professional interests including yachting and architecture. He was a member of the French Commission to the Centennial, and secretary of the French commission charged with fund-raising for the Statue of Liberty.

Richard Butler (1831-1902), referred to here as Glaenzer’s “dear father-in-law”, was a rubber manufacturing magnate with a deep interest in art. Butler served as an officer on the Franco-American Union Committee responsible for fundraising for the Statue of Liberty, and was a founding trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.


This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.



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