The first color change occurred when the copper on the statue reacted with oxygen in the air. It wasn't just one reaction that caused this particular shade, but a combination of reactions over the years. The color change is the result of oxidation and air pollution. 'In her first few decades in the Big Apple, the statue slowly turned from that shiny copper color to a dull brown and then finally to the blue-green, or as they say back in France, 'verdigris', that we see today,' the American Chemical Society explains in their video. The statue during its transition from copper to green-blue. As a new video from the American Chemical Society explains, the original color of the Statue of Liberty has changed since it was gifted to the US by France in 1885. It was originally a rather magnificent copper. If you were asked to describe it, one of the first things you'd likely mention (after the torch and hat, of course) would be its distinctive blue-green color.īut it wasn't always this color. The Statue of Liberty is one of the most recognizable landmarks on the planet.
