The statue was a gift from the people of France. The sculptor was Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, and Gustave Eiffel's company built the iron frame inside. It was dedicated on October 28, 1886, with President Grover Cleveland.
The French people paid for the statue, and Americans paid for the pedestal. The statue was shiny reddish-brown copper at first. The green color came from oxidation and covered it by 1906.
The island was called Bedloe's Island until Congress renamed it in 1956. The famous poem, The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus, is on a plaque at the base.