Alfonso Iannelli
Italian, 1888­1965
Study model for the head of a sprite for Midway 
Gardens, 60th and Cottage Grove Avenue, 
Chicago, Illinois
c. 1913 (demolished 1929)
Plaster
54 x 24 x 29 cm
Fractional gift of Mr. and Mrs. Seymour Persky, 1984.1254
© Seymour Persky

This sculpture is a model for a decorative ornament on Midway Gardens, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. This large building was one of Chicago’s famous pleasure resorts, with indoor dining, outdoor terraces, and a cabaret.

The sculptor Iannelli designed much of the building’s ornament. This head is an imaginary being called a sprite—like a fairy or an elf. Photographs of Midway Gardens, which was torn down in 1929, show Ianelli’s sprites topping columns and entrance gates.