On May 21, 1884, the statue was completed—nearly 20 years after its conception. A ceremony took place at the French foundry where the statue had been built.
Both the American minister to France and the French Prime Minister Jules Ferry attended. The president of the Franco-American Union stated: “We commit it to your care, Mr. Minister, that it may remain forever the pledge of the bonds which should unite France and the great American nation.”
During the spring of 1885, workmen carefully took apart, packed, and shipped the statue to the United States. It filled 214 crates. On June 17, 1885, crowds cheered as the ship Isère entered New York Harbor.
However, it would be more than a year before the statue would be ready to be dedicated to the people of America.
