Do you see it now?  "The Finger" is the left-hand index finger of "Liberty Enlightening The World".  It's holding a plaque on which is chiseled "July 4th, 1776".  The whole thing is a gift from France on the occasion of the centennial of our Declaration of Independence.  The finger at MdAeM is a maquette — a model used in the construction of the real thing.