David K. Stone (American, 1922 - 2001) "Frederic Bartholdi/Statue of Liberty" Signed lower right. Original oil painting on Masonite. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood First Day Cover for the U.S. 22c Frederic A. Bartholdi stamp issued July 18, 1985. Standing proud and silent over New York Harbor is the Statue of Liberty, a symbol of international friendship .. and Americans owe its design to the French sculptor Fredric Auguste Bartholdi. Originally planned to be given to the United States by the people of France in 1876 -- the date marking one hundred years of American independence -- Lady Liberty was not completed and presented to the United States until 1885. The spirit of the Statue had originated in 1865 when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Lincoln had been a living symbol of liberty for the French people. Greatly affected by the tragedy, the French nation took up a collection .. and a gold medal was sent to Mrs. Lincoln with the message: "Tell Mrs. Lincoln that in this little box is the heart of France." But the friendship between the French and American people did not die with Lincoln and the French people felt a monument should be erected in the United States to symbolize that living friendship. It was then that Bartholdi was commissioned to travel to America and decide what kind of monument should be made. The model Bartholdi finally created succeeded in expressing the friendship of his nation. Portraying Lady Liberty uplifting the lamp of freedom, the statue was entitled Liberte Eclairant le Monde, or Liberty Enlightening the World. Erected upon an American-built pedestal on Liberty Island, Bartholdi's masterpiece -- the Statue of Liberty -- stands as a symbol of Franco-American friendship. Image Size: 20.75 x 17.75 in. Overall Size: 27 x 23.75 in. Unframed. (B08818)