Statue of Liberty of War; since 1933 it has been maintained by the National Park Service. Public access to the balcony around the torch has been barred for safety since 1916. According to the National Park Service, the idea for the Statue of Liberty was first proposed by Édouard René de Laboulaye, president of the French Anti-Slavery Society and a prominent and important political thinker of his time. The project is traced to a mid-1865 conversation between de Laboulaye, a staunch abolitionist, and Frédéric Bartholdi, a sculptor. In after-dinner conversation at his home near Versailles, Laboulaye, an ardent supporter of the Union in
Statue of Liberty in popular culture Statue of Liberty in popular culture After its unveiling in 1886, the Statue of Liberty ("Liberty Enlightening the World") quickly became iconic, and began to be featured on countless posters, and in pictures and books. The statue's likeness has also appeared in motion pictures, television programs, music videos, and video games, and its likeness has been used in logos, on commemorative coins, and in theatrical productions. It remains a popular local, national, and international political symbol of freedom. As a famous landmark, damage and destruction of the statue has been used to symbolize the end of mankind or the destruction