The copper and steel statue — formally named Liberty Enlightening the World — has been a fixture of New York City and a symbol for the nation since its dedication by President Grover Cleveland in October 1886. The 225-ton monument arrived a year earlier in 214 crates as a gift from France. Including her pedestal and foundation, Lady Liberty reaches 305 feet; her index finger measures eight feet long, tipped by a 13-inch fingernail. Designed by French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi to celebrate the centennial of the Declaration of Independence, the statue's $250,000 tab was covered via donations, a French national lottery and a benefit concert at the Paris Opera, among other things. America, in return, was responsible for the statue's base and pedestal, to be constructed within the existing walls of Fort Wood, an Army post on what was then known as Bedloe's Island. At first, most Americans weren't fans of Lady Liberty; out-of-town newspapers and political leaders scoffed at the idea of backing a "local" New York project. Momentum began to shift as Joseph Pulitzer used his New York World to talk up the effort, prompting benefit balls, theatrical performances and donations from schoolchildren to help finish the $280,000 job. (See 10 things to do in New York.)