The World's Columbian Exposition 1893: "Liberty"

The Original Republic 1893

The Statue of the Republic aka "The Golden Lady" was completed in 1918 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago's Jackson Park.  The Golden Lady is 24 foot bronze statue gilded in gold.  She is a much smaller version of the original gilded plaster Statue of the Republic that soared to 100 feet and erected at the Columbian Exposition in 1893 (and burned in 1896).

Famous sculptor Daniel Chester French designed Republic...he designed over 2 dozen notable works including Abraham Lincoln at The Lincoln Memorial.

Republic holds a globe with a perched eagle with outstretched wings in her right hand (a symbol of our nation's influence on a worldwide presence...1918 was a very imperialistic era) and a banner inscribed "LIBERTY" on a staff in her left hand (yet very little true liberty existed in America at the time).  

The original Republic had a Phrygian Cap on top of the staff (subject of the next post). 


So much talk of Liberty...