Passport: Mapping the Cultural Journey of the Guinness Puccini Musical Box

The Harmoniphone Cylinder Musical Box with Reed Organ (c.1877) has been a part of the Morris Museum’s Murtogh D. Guinness collection since it arrived at the museum in 2003. However, it was not until musicologist W. Anthony Sheppard paid a visit to the museum in 2011 that it revealed itself as likely the exact object the composer Giacomo Puccini encountered, and which contains the tunes that the composer would use in his operas, Turandot and Madama Butterfly.

Museum admission: General admission $12; children 3-17, seniors, students under 25 with ID $8; children 2 and under and active military + 5 family members free.