Toes Final.pub
National Park Service
U. S. Department of the Interior
MORTON’S TOE
MORTON’S TOE
Statue of Liberty National Monument
Besides being known unofficially as a Greek or Roman
Liberty Island
New York, NY 10004-1467
toe, this is a common forefoot disorder where the sec-
ond toe is longer than the Big Toe (the Hallux) known,
officially, as Morton's Toe, and unofficially as Classic
The
Greek Foot, hyperpronation of the foot, or pes valgus.
Morton's Foot was first described in the 1930's by
Statue of Liberty’s Toes —
podiatrist Dudley J. Morton. It is a normal variation in
or
the structure of the human foot that is present in
roughly 20% of the population.
Why She May Wear
Statue size replica, in the SLNM Museum, shows the
Actually, it is not that the second toe is longer than the
short “big Toe” and the small “hammer” toe.
Sandals
Big Toe as much as the second bone, the second meta-
tarsal (or a short first metatarsal) is the distinctive fea-
REPOUSSÉ METHOD
ture. You can't tell by simply looking at the length of
your toes.
Bartholdi chose the ancient method of repoussé to make his
Morton's Foot creates an instability in the ankle that statue. Rather than casting the statue, which would have
causes ankle weakness and frequent ankle sprains. The made it much too heavy, Bartholdi used this time proven
feet compensate by turning the toes outward, which method of heating copper sheets, 3/32” or about two pen-
turns the ankles inward and flattens the arch. Physical nies thick. The heated sheet is then placed over a negative
stress from this abnormal posture promotes the devel-
mold and the sheet is hammered into the mold. Thus the
opment of myofascial trigger points (tiny contraction French term repoussé —to bring forward or driven back.
knots) in the muscles of the lower leg and foot.
During the restoration of the Statue of Liberty 1984—1986,
a full size replica of the left foot of the Statue was made on
Liberty Island using this method and is now on display in
the Statue of Liberty National Monument museum.
The sandal of the Statue of Liberty is 25’
long. Using US Women’s Shoes Sizes -
EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICA
based on the standard formula - her
sandal size is 879.
Plaster Working Model In SLNM Museum
William Maurer — Park Ranger
Interpretive Section
12/04
BARTHOLDI’S
T H E S TAT UE O F L IB ERT Y
G R E E K AN D RO M AN
CLASSICAL
TO E S
EDUCATION
In Bartholdi’s models for the Statue of Liberty, his training in
the classic traditions can be seen as the idea for the statue de-
Experts claim that up to 70% of the population have
velops. From an Egyptian woman, to a Greek goddess to his
When the idea of a monumental gift from the peo-
what is unofficially called Egyptian foot. This is
final change, a Roman goddess, his statue has symbolic
ple of France to the people of the United States
characterized by a great toe longer than the second toe.
meaning from the torch’s flame to the statue’s toes.
took place outside of Paris, the young sculptor of
About 20% have a so-called Greek foot where the great
the statue — known then as Liberty Enlightening
As a goddess, Liberty wears a crown with seven rays emanat-
toe is shorter than the second toe, and the remainder
ing. This “perfect” number reflects the Seven Seas and the
have a square foot with the great toe and second toe the
the World — or now popularly, The Statue of Lib-
Seven Continents as illustrated in Biblical texts. The torch is to
same length.
erty, was already famous for large, classic works.
enlighten: if darkness is eliminated fear is gone! The keystone
The anatomical, political and ethnic logic ends there for
Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi (April 2, 1834 - Octo-
tucked under the left arm and inscribed, July 4, 1776, repre-
the classic artist. As Roman statues sometimes are
ber 4, 1904) took drawing lessons
sents the law. America is a nation of laws, not of men. Her
copies of the Greek originals, the Roman statues often
with Martin Rossbach in Colmar,
dress, like a Roman goddess, is a stola, a palla and a tunic.
have Greek feet.
Her raised right foot is on the move. This symbol of Liberty
and Paris, France. He went on to
and Freedom is not standing still or at attention in the harbor,
When Bartholdi prepared the models for his Progress,
study sculpture with Antoine Etex,
she is moving forward. as her left foot tramples chains of tyr-
and then the monumental Liberty Enlightening the World,
architecture with Henri Labrouste
anny and slavery. And, on her Greek/Roman feet, open san-
he applied the classic studies of the Greek foot to his
and friend, Eugène- Emmanuel
dals that define her heritage from the earliest days of civiliza-
works of an Egyptian woman and then of a Roman
Viollet-le-Duc and painting with Ary Scheffer. He
tion—we see her Morton’s toes and her “hammer” little toe.
Goddess.
studied the classic Greek and Roman figures
The classic statue of Constantine—315—330 BCE, a
along with the architecture.
Roman Emperor, shows this same Greek configuration..
His journey to Egypt and Yemen in 1855 and
1886, with Jean-Léon Gérôme and other oriental-
ist painters, fueled Bartholdi's fascination with co-
lossal sculpture. He returned to Egypt in 1869 with
a proposal to create a lighthouse--in the form of an
Egyptian woman holding a torch at the entrance
to the newly completed Suez Canal. This statue,
called Progress: Egypt Bringing Light to Asia, was
never commissioned. His plan, however, found a
This foot of Roman Emperor Constantine—
new form in the Statue of Liberty.
Model of the Statue of Liberty showing the broken chains.
like the Statue of Liberty—has Greek toes.
