 The sculptor based the obverse design of Liberty on the features of his wife , Teresa de Francisci . Due to the short length of the competition , he lacked the time to hire a model with the features he envisioned . Teresa de Francisci was born Teresa Cafarelli in Naples , Italy . In interviews , she related that when she was five years old and the steamer on which she and her family were immigrating passed the Statue of Liberty , she was fascinated by the statue , called her family over , and struck a pose in imitation . She later wrote to her brother Rocco , 
