Mephistopheles, Model No. 1" (from the opera Faust) Made by Léopold Lambert, Paris, France c. 1886-1900 39 ½"h x 18"w x 18"d The Murtogh D. Guinness Collection

The Morris Museum has created the first major public exhibition in the Western hemisphere devoted to the fascinating subject of mechanical music and automata (mechanical figures). To achieve this exciting goal, the museum has embarked on a $25 million fundraising campaign. Not only has a new gallery been built to house and present the Murtogh D. Guinness collection, but improvement and other changes have taken place throughout the museum to assure its future as a national cultural destination.

In early 2008, a Guinness Viewable Storage Gallery and Resource Center will open on the Lower Level, revealing, a high-density mobile storage system for on-site viewable storage of the 550 remaining instruments, automata and related program media. Guinness Viewable Storage will provide public access to the collection in its entirety for the first time, while the Resource Center will serve as a source for academic research .

With the generous gift of the Murtogh D. Guinness collection, the Morris Museum now holds one of the world’s most important collections of mechanical musical instruments and automata. The extraordinary selection of rare, beautiful, and intriguing antique entertainment devices are showcased in a suite of galleries located in a new museum wing. The Morris Museum will become an international destination and it will be a center for the understanding of the first form of popular music readily available upon demand—the precursor to today’s recording industry.

For over 90 years the Morris Museum has been a vibrant educational resource in the state of New Jersey. As a teaching museum, it has provided a wide range of award-winning programs, exhibitions, and performances devoted to art, science, history, and theatre. The remarkable Murtogh D. Guinness collection will significantly build upon a heritage of dedicated public service. Click here for information about helping the museum achieve its dynamic new vision.