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When: October, 2003

Who: Photographed by Tito Dupret of WHTour

What: The Statue of Liberty
After the American Civil War, French sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi was inspired to create something that would be a lasting memorial to independence and showed that the French government was also dedicated to the idea of human liberty.

Bartholdi wrote about his first trip to America, upon entering New York harbour, where he found the perfect spot for his statue: "The picture that is presented to the view when one arrives in New York is marvelous, when, after some days of voyaging, in the pearly radiance of a beautiful morning is revealed the magnificent spectacle of those immense cities [Brooklyn and Manhattan], of those rivers extending as far as the eye can reach, festooned with masts and flags; when one awakes, so to speak, in the midst of that interior sea covered with vessels … it is thrilling. It is, indeed, the New World, which appears in its majestic expanse, with the ardor of its glowing life."

Where : Liberty Island, New York.
Originally named Bedloe’s Island when the statue was erected, it was only officially changed to Liberty Island in 1956.

Why: Tito Dupret has received a lot of interesting opportunities as a result of the recent New York Times article. He was recently in NYC (where he also met up with Jook Leung of 360vr.com) and while there was accompanied by a CNN crew who were doing a three minute piece on WHTour, to be aired on some as yet unkown future date He will also have an exhibition next spring at the World Monument Fund gallery in New York.

Dupret writes, “The CNN crew’s presence in the panorama is an echo to the statue of liberty as they represent freedom of speech, the most important thing in human civilization”.

Some panos of Tito Dupret visiting with Jook Leung in NYC.

For more about the Statue of Liberty’ history.