Statue of Liberty, created by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi is a large statue that was presented to the United States by France in 1886. The copper patina-clad statue, dedicated on October 28, 1886, commemorates the centennial of the United States and is a gesture of friendship from France to America. It stands at Liberty Island in New York Harbor as a welcome to all visitors, immigrants, and returning Americans. Worldwide, the Statue of Liberty is one of the most recognizable icons of the United States, and, more generally, represents liberty and escape from oppression.