American Committee Model (Statue of Liberty)

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The first souvenir models of the Statue of Liberty to be made and sold here in the United Statues were referred to as the "American Committee Models." They were made in Brooklyn, NY under an agreement with the American Committee, which had been created years earlier to raise funds to build the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty. It was hoped that the sale of these souvenir models would help raise funds and also pay a royalty after completion to the artist Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, the creator of Liberty. While the models alone weren't enough to raise funds to finish the pedestal, they were popular and sold widely across the United States. They are a popular item for collectors today. I had always wanted one but balked at the steep prices some of these models command in auctions like eBay. I luckily found one and had an opportunity to take photos to recreate it. You can read more about the circumstances and history of the American Committee Models here: http://goo.gl/1wbwcG