Diane von Furstenberg, also referred to as the statue’s “godmother,” makes an appearance in the documentary having raised $100 million to fund the museum. Furstenberg told, Revry Premieres Docu-Series About LGBTQ Youth Via Instagram, How This Gay Couple Put On a Black, Plague-Appropriate Wedding, Meet Karine Jean-Pierre, Biden's Latest History-Making LGBTQ+ Staffer, Margaret Cho Explains Why Queer Comedians Should Seize This Moment, Congressman-Elect Ritchie Torres Is a Fighter, Now Fighting in DC, Netflix's Latest 'The Prom' Trailer Shows the Ryan Murphy Camp We Love, 'Bad Hair' Shows How White Supremacy Shapes Capitalism With Black Hair, Building My Family: How Twiggy Pucci Garcon Builds Bonds. At Monday night’s premiere, the duo told The Hollywood Reporter that they began working on the documentary before Donald Trump became president. Some see the idea of Liberty being a man in drag as a stretch, and believe a common theory is that it is instead Bartholdi’s mother — experts have no actual evidence to prove that. A new documentary claims that the figure is essentially a drag queen. One historian believes sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi used his brother as a model for the iconic statue. A subject people think they know.”. This sort of facial study is important for sculpting. October 19 … Historian: The Statue Of Liberty Is Actually A Man At 305 feet tall, Lady Liberty would be the world's tallest drag queen. "I think it was absolutely a fitting subject for us," Barbato told Salon. In a 2016 interview with the New York Post, author and journalist Elizabeth Mitchell alleged that Lady Liberty was actually a depiction of French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi’s brother Charles, once a law-student who ended up in an insane asylum. This expert thinks so. IT MIGHT be New York City’s most well-known tourist attraction, but new research has unearthed some unsettling secrets. Is the Statue of Liberty an image of a man or woman? by Dan Avery 7/4/2016 The Statue Of … The Statue of Liberty has welcomed immigrants and visitors to the United States for more than 130 years and now, a new documentary speculates that the famed landmark might be a drag queen. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Your Privacy Controls. “There’s a rumour it’s Bartholdi’s brother,” she said. Find out more about how we use your information in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. Is Lady Liberty actually a man? In fact, the face was supposedly modeled after the artist's mother. A JAW-DROPPING new theory suggests the Statue of Liberty is actually a man – not a female sculptor as is widely believed. ET on HBO. Is the Statue of Liberty a Man or a Woman: It was modeled after a woman. According to the National Park Service, the idea of a monument presented by the French people to the United States was first proposed by Édouard René de Laboulaye, president of the French Anti-Slavery Society and a prominent and important political thinker of his time. Information about your device and internet connection, including your IP address, Browsing and search activity while using Verizon Media websites and apps. Is the Statue of Liberty actually a man? "Overexposed and under-revealed. "I think it made the film ultra-relevant.". “Going through photos [Bartholdi] had in his files of his brother, I started to look at the face more carefully, and it really did look to be like Liberty.”. We and our partners will store and/or access information on your device through the use of cookies and similar technologies, to display personalised ads and content, for ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Maybe Lady Liberty isn’t a lady after all. Furstenberg told The Hollywood Reporter she became involved with the museum after being asked to join the board of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation by its president and CEO, Stephen Briganti. "Little did we know that everything that would happen in the next three years only makes what Lady Liberty stands for even more important than ever," Bailey said. In her book, Liberty's Torch, Mitchell argues that the statue was modeled after Bartholdi’s brother since he served as his caretaker during his later mental illness and would have had plenty of time to study his features as he sat with him in silence. Liberty: Mother of Exiles premiered on Thursday, Oct. 17 at  9 p.m. In after-dinner conversation at his home near Versailles, Laboulaye, an ardent supporter of the Union in the American Civ… HuffPost is part of Verizon Media. RELATED | Revry Premieres Docu-Series About LGBTQ Youth Via Instagram, Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, the multi Emmy-winning duo behind, "I think it was absolutely a fitting subject for us," Barbato told, Diane von Furstenberg, also referred to as the statue’s “godmother,” makes an appearance in the documentary having raised $100 million to fund the museum. To enable Verizon Media and our partners to process your personal data select 'I agree', or select 'Manage settings' for more information and to manage your choices. Is the Statue of Liberty on Ellis Island: No, the Statue of Liberty is on Liberty Island. By Serena Sonoma. The Statue of Liberty's face is said to be modeled after the sculptor's mother. Classical images of Liberty have usually been represented by a woman. Seems like the sort of “pick your own fantasy,” we’ve always wanted. A new documentary claims that the figure is essentially a drag queen. “His brother in his adult years had actually gone mad, and it was Bartholdi’s task to go once a week to visit, sometimes [spending] hours just staring at his brother, who was not speaking,” she said. The model for the Statue of Liberty may not have been sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi’s mother, as widely believed, but his brother, Jean-Charles Bartholdi. Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, the multi Emmy-winning duo behind RuPaul’s Drag Race, are revisiting the rumor in their documentary, Liberty: Mother of Exiles,which explores the statue’s origins and the construction of The Statue of Liberty Museum which recently opened at its base. The project is traced to a mid-1865 conversation between Laboulaye, a staunch abolitionist, and Frédéric Bartholdi, a sculptor. The Statue of Liberty Is Actually Probably a Man.