Bartholdi
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
FRÉDÉRIC AUGUSTE Colmar, Alsace, April 2, 1834; received the cross of the Legion of Honor in 1865; principal works: the "Lion of Belfort"; statue of Lafayette , in Union Square, New York; bronze group of Lafayette the colossal figu and Washington, in Paris (1895); and "Liberty Enlightening the World." He figure in New York harbor, died Oct. 4, 1904. TLEMY FAIR, a celebrated fair, which BARTHOLOMEW FAIR, or BARwas long held in Smithfield at Bartholomew-tide. The charter authorizing it was proclaimed for the last time in 1855. was granted by Henry I. in 1153, and it ST., the massacre of French Protestants BARTHOLOMEW , MASSACRE OF which began in Paris. In 1572, in the reign of Charles IX., many of the principal French Protestants were invited to Paris, under a solemn pledge of safety, King of Navarre, afterward Henry IV., on the occasion of the marriage of the doomed to destruction, they were treated with the French King's sister. Though mark of courtesy and confidence. Meanfor seven months with every possible while the warrant for their destruction was issued by their sovereign, on whose butchery began on Aug. 24, that being word they had relied . This horrible St. Bartholomew's Day, on which, and the two following days, more than 10,000 Protestants were murdered in Paris. A like carnage ensued in the provinces, where upward of 25,000 more were destroyed by other blo Sully says that the number massacred bloodthirsty fanatics. throughout the kingdom amounted to plauded in Spain; at Rome, solemn 70,000. This deed was, however, apthanksgivings were offered to God for its success, and medals were struck at Paris in honor of it; while , as a mark of Protestant detestation , Elizabeth and the English court put on deep mourning, and received the French embassy in solemn silence.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
Collier's wrote this in 1921, seventeen years after Bartholdi's death, and its list of his works still holds: the Lion of Belfort, the Lafayette in Union Square, the Lafayette-and-Washington group in Paris, and "Liberty Enlightening the World" in New York harbour all survive. What has changed is the fame of the last one, now universally called the Statue of Liberty: it was made a national monument in 1924, declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984, and given a complete restoration for its 1886-1986 centennial, when the corroded torch was replaced with a new copper flame covered in gold leaf (the original is now displayed indoors). Bartholdi's birthplace in Colmar, Alsace — German territory when he was born in 1834 and again for much of his life — returned to France in 1918 and houses the Musée Bartholdi in his family home. A dedicated Statue of Liberty Museum opened on Liberty Island in 2019.
Written for this edition, 2026.