Where was the Statue of Liberty's arm and torch displayed in 1876?

The Statue of Liberty's arm and torch were displayed in Philadelphia in 1876. They appeared at the Centennial Exposition, the international fair held to celebrate the 100th anniversary of American independence.

The arm was exhibited before the full statue had been completed. Bartholdi moved ahead with fabricating major sections in France, both to advance the project and to generate publicity and donations. The torch-bearing arm arrived in Philadelphia in August 1876, relatively late in the exposition, so it was reportedly absent from some exhibition catalogues.

Visitors could climb to a balcony near the torch and look across the fairgrounds. Admission fees helped support continued work on the monument. Contemporary accounts and signs did not always use the same name; some called it the “Colossal Arm” or referred to Bartholdi’s electric light.

After the Philadelphia exhibition closed, the arm was moved to New York and displayed in Madison Square Park from 1876 to 1882. The completed statue was eventually assembled in New York Harbor and dedicated in 1886.