Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi's great work, "Liberty Enlightening the World," is an enduring icon of New York City. We know it better as "The Statue of Liberty." Since 1886, it has served as a symbol of freedom and a beckoning call to the "huddled masses yearning to breathe free." And many have paid homage to this icon by getting a Liberty-inspired tattoo.

Now, The City Reliquary Museum and Daredevil Tattoo are sharing the history of Statue of Liberty tattoos through a stunning collection of vintage tattoo art. The exhibit, Liberty the Tattooed Lady: The Great Bartholdi Statue as Depicted in Tattooing, premiered this past April and will continue through January 12, 2025.

In 2002, Dave Herman founded the City Reliquary Museum in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It is one of New York City's hidden gems. While the City has many spaces that share treasures from around the world, this unique nonprofit traces the history of New York City's five boroughs with its exhibitions of cultural ephemera and relics. Here, you can find a shrine to baseball legend Jackie Robinson only a few feet away from an interactive exhibit on burlesque star Little Egypt.

Herman told Time Out, "Soon, using indelible ink and electricity, sailors' bodies were being emblazoned with permanent souvenirs from their days on the streets of New York. What better way to prove that than with the image of the newly built colossal statue of 'Liberty Enlightening the World,' which shone down upon our harbor?"

This exhibition is curated by Michelle Myles, tattooist and co-owner of Daredevil Tattoo Shop & Museum. She has packed the space with an impressive collection of antique flash, vintage photographs, drawings, stencils, paintings, and other related objects.

The items on show represent some of the most legendary tattooers of the early twentieth century, including Charlie Wagner, Bert Grimm, Owen Jensen, Dainty Dotty, and Lou Normand.

Myles told Brooklyn Magazine, "The draw to the image is the idea of liberty. But, for a lot of people, Lady Liberty is also the symbol of New York City, so she becomes a souvenir of sorts. To some people, it's a symbol of America, so Europeans come and get her tattooed."

The Museum is open on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. Admission is only $8 for NYC residents or $10 for visitors from outside the City. The Museum has several events and exhibitions that may interest you, so it would be wise to follow them on Instagram and Facebook to stay up-to-date. A trip to the Museum will never disappoint or leave you bored.

Broadway Stages loves that there are places and people who treasure and preserve the history and culture that make New York City great. And nothing represents that greatness as much as Lady Liberty herself. So, stop by the Museum this weekend to visit this gem and maybe be inspired to get some Liberty-inspired ink yourself. And when you go, be sure to tell them Broadway Stages sent you!

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Liberty Illustrated at the City Reliquary Museum