[Strolling Players]
oil on canvas
1856 - 1924. fl. 1878
Francis James Barraud (June 16, 1856 in Liverpool, England - August 29, 1924) was an English painter. His most famous work, His Master's Voice, is one of the most well-known commercial logos in the world, having inspired the music industry trademark depicting a dog (Nipper) and phonograph, which is used by several corporations, including HMV, RCA, and JVC.
The painting His Master's Voice originally showed the dog (who had in fact died some years previously) listening to a cylinder phonograph. This was a rare model, electrically driven and housed in a distinctive round-cornered case, known as the Edison Commercial Phonograph and produced by Edison's factory exclusively for the British market; Barraud probably derived the idea of purchasing this model from Hubert von Herkomer who kept a similar machine in his studio. Barraud afterwards replaced the phonograph with a disc machine on the suggestion of William Barry Owen of The Gramophone Company, who then bought the picture. It was used in advertising by the Gramophone Company and by its U.S. equivalent Victor and became one of the world's best known trade marks, although it did not appear on British record labels until 1909.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Barraud
http://www.designboom.com/history/nipper.html
[His Master's Voice] 1899
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?GRid=10852037&page=gr
http://www.allposters.com/-sp/His-Masters-Voice-Posters_i385238_.htm
http://www.dogco.com/public/120.cfm
5 comments:
I remember this so clearly from the commercials for tv. I think it was RCA wasn't it? I use to have that little dog.
Its still lovely isn't it. Its become such a familiar image that it took me a while to realise how cleverly he painted it.
Francis James Barraud is my favorite painter in fact I inspired my current arts because of this man, I have my own gallery at home.
Francis James Barraud (16 June 1856 in Liverpool, England – 29 August 1924) was an English painter – the son of artist Henry Barraud.
His most famous work, His Master's Voice, is one of the best-known commercial logos in the world, having inspired the music industry trademark depicting a dog (Nipper) and phonograph, which is used by several corporations, including HMV, RCA, and JVC.
Regards,
Steven
I think that Barraud probably derived the idea of buying it from Hubert von Herkomer who kept a similar machine in his studio. He later replaced the phonograph with a disc machine on the suggestion of William Barry Owen of The Gramophone Company, which then bought the picture. It was used in advertising by the Gramophone Company and by its US equivalent Victor and became one of the world's most recognisable trademarks, although it did not appear on British record labels until 1909.
Regards,
Kevin
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