The last weekend in New York I spent going to Liberty and Ellis islands for a closeup of the Lady with Melissa. She is a regal statue. I haven’t seen her up this close before, and the ranger was very good about telling us about her origins. It seems half the monuments in this country were set up by private citizens rather than the government – including this one (though a joint venture between French and American people, the American people having provided the pedestal through a trickle, then a surge, of donations). As a tribute to tacky American taste, the American’s first act upon receiving the whole thing was to peel the torch apart and turn it into a lighthouse, only to realize that the glass didn’t quite hold up to the weather like the copper did. Now it’s gold plated – the sculptor’s original design.
