Statue of Liberty holds a torch above her head.
Statue of Liberty . The Statue of Liberty is a robed female figure representing Libertas , the Roman goddess . She holds a torch above her head , and in her left arm carries a tabula ansata inscribed in Roman numerals with `` JULY IV MDCCLXXVI '' ( July 4 , 1776 ) , the date of the U.S. Declaration of Independence . Public access to the balcony surrounding the torch has been barred for safety reasons since 1916 .