| Original caption: “The miniature reproduction of the Statue of Liberty – built for the last war bond drive – towers above the crowd that thronged Times Square in New York yesterday to celebrate the surrender of Germany. The picture was taken from the Times Tower at 42nd Street.” United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt (January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945) pressed a button installed on his desk on November 17, 1944, to light the torch of the 55 foot (17 meter) Statue of Liberty made of plastic and asbestos. The 15-ton Statue was made for the 6th War Loan, which ran from November 2 to December 16, 1944, by the New York City Motor Picture War Activities Committee and the United States War Finance Committee. The statue’s base housed booths to purchase war bonds and 2 stages for speeches and performances. Despite a brownout being ordered due to a nationwide coal shortage, the replica Statue of Liberty’s torch was lit nightly. Every day at Noon, while local workers were presumed to be at lunch, a show promoted the purchase of war bonds. The booths sold an average of 60,000 dollars daily. A similar sculpture of the flag raising on Iwo Jima was added on May 11, 1945, for the 7th War Loan, which ran from May 14 to June 30. This was not as monumental as the replica Statue of Liberty, about 25 feet (8 meters), but was placed in front of it and presaged Austrian American sculptor Felix de Weldon’s (April 12, 1907 – June 3, 2003) United States Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, unveiled on November 10, 1954. The Statue of Liberty was removed in January 1946, after the discovery of a crack that ran from the base to the top. The War Loan Drive was over; the replica, intended to be temporary, was deemed a hazard. The Passaic, New Jersey, Herald-News wrote on January 30, 1946, “Times Square looking empty with the huge replica of the Statue of Liberty, which, erected in November 1944, played an important part in war bond drives…Cracks made the lady with the lamp unsafe, so she was taken down.” Photographer Matthew “Matty” Zimmerman (1912 – January 3, 1966) joined the New York Times at age 14 as a copy boy, running the reporters’ stories to the presses. He joined the Associated Press in 1941 and was recognized for his photography of boxing fights. He photographed National Space and Air Administration rocket launches and United States Presidents, but his most famous photograph was Marilyn Monroe’s (June 1, 1926 – August 4, 1962) “flying skirt” photo. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0946.jpg |
| Image Size | 882.50 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 1660 x 2163 |
| Photographer | Matty Zimmerman |
| Photographer Title | |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | May 7, 1945 |
| Location | |
| City | New York |
| State or Province | New York |
| Country | United States |
| Archive | |
| Record Number | |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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