What Fools These Mortals Be! – The Puck Building, Houston Street at Lafayette, New York, New York

The Puck Building sports two gilded statues by sculptor Henry Baerer of Shakespeare’s character Puck, from A Midsummer’s Night Dream. The cherub-faced and well-attired Puck was the "mascot" of Puck, the illustrated, satirical weekly, and he stands holding a very large pen that is about his height in his right hand. Each Puck sports a top hat and tails. In the proper left hand is a mirror, in the right an oversize writing instrument. Over the left shoulder, on a sash, is slung a book or satchel bearing the magazine’s motto. Beneath their bright gilt, the Pucks are made of zinc, a popular material for late 19th-century sculpture. Should time or money run short, zinc sculptures could be quickly assembled from small pieces – their joints hidden by a coat of paint that simulated more expensive marble or bronze.

The 10-foot Puck depicted above overlooks the corner of Houston and Mulberry Streets.