Life, 1884-01-17 · page 1 of 16
Life — January 17, 1884 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "The Statue of Liberty as It Will Appear by the Time the Pedestal Is Finished" This 1884 *Life* magazine cartoon satirizes delays in completing the pedestal for the newly arrived Statue of Liberty. The figure shows Lady Liberty in tattered, worn condition—her torch arm drooping, her robe falling apart—suggesting she'll deteriorate while Americans dither over construction. The joke targets bureaucratic inefficiency and funding disputes that plagued the pedestal project. Donations had stalled, and completion seemed perpetually postponed. By depicting Liberty herself as crumbling and decrepit, the cartoonist mocks the shame of leaving France's gift incomplete, while implying American disorganization and broken promises. The skyline and harbor location confirm this references the famous monument.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
NEW YORK, JANUARY 17, 1884. Entered at New York Post Office as Second-Class Mall Matter. pracy aes BY Coie 2HeLL te renee mamas Sa tgipeenennnnnt me THE STATUE OF LIBERTY AS IT WILL APPEAR BY THE TIME THE PEDESTAL IS FINISHED.