Is there somewhere online where I can actually view the original dark face of the Statue of Liberty?

Not sure how long it took the statue to degrade from the bronze, since color photography didn’t appear until the 1930s. But here’s a picture from the Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/pga.03455/

Here’s the head on display in Paris, before it was shipped to NY. Not especially “dark”, I’d say.

On Oct. 28, 1886, President Grover Cleveland dedicated the Statue of Liberty, a gift from France, in New York Harbor. 125th anniversary is being celebrated today. Festivities will culminate with a grand fireworks display tonight. I just don’t know if there are any events being broadcasted live but I’m sure the networks’ late night news will probably feature that tonight.

Due to the lack of advanced photographic technology over a century ago, it may be difficult to find a decent photo of the original dark face of Ms. Liberty. The next best thing are pictures of the replica of the face which is shown in unoxidized metal.

It’s slightly off topic but did the builders know it would fade to green eventually?

@intro24 I would think so. They chose to make her out of copper.

@thorninmud Parts of the statue, usually the head or the torch arm, traveled around the U.S. to raise funds for constructing the base. The French gave the statue, but not the base, as a gift. The base is quite elaborate and at least as large as the statue, and it was costly to build.

I’ve seen photos of those pieces. Personally, I find them very creepy and unsettling – oversized depictions of disembodied body parts.