Cpaphil has recently been presented with unusual ‘’Lion of Belfort” vintage postcards. This stunning Parisian monument is located in the 14th district in the Place Denfert -Rochereau (previously known as the Place d’Enfer) The sculpture is by Frederic Bartholdi.The lion seen on this vintage postcard symbolizes the heroic resistance of Belfort during a 103 days long Prussian assault (from December 1870 to February 1871). The city was protected from 40,000 Prussians by merely 17,000 men (only 3,500 were from the military) lead by Colonel Denfert - Rochereau.
Frederic Bartholdi can also be credited with the monumental Statue of Liberty under the patronage of Edouard de Laboulaye who was a prolific French abolitionist. He believed that the end of slavery marked the realization of the American democratic ideal embodied in the Declaration of Independence. His use of references to the French role in the American Revolution to generate support for his efforts on behalf of American slaves and freedmen are critical to understanding his conception of the Statue of Liberty. Auguste Bartholdi was largely apolitical and adapted his self-presentation to advance his career as an artist.
The statue’s design almost certainly evolved from an earlier concept Bartholdi proposed for a colossal monument in Egypt, for which the artist used his drawings of Egyptian women as models. Bartholdi changed a broken shackle and chain in the statue’s left hand to tablets inscribed “July IV, MDCCLXXVI” (July 4, 1776) at Laboulaye’s request, to emphasize a broader vision of liberty for all mankind.
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