The idea of the Statue of Liberty came from Edouard Rene Lefebvre de Laboulaye, a professor of law in Paris. He wished to honor the friendship between the United States and France since the days of the American Revolution. The man who designed and made the Statue of Liberty was Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi. He began sketches for the Statue of Liberty in 1869, using his mother as the model for the Statue of Liberty's face.