The Bold Project Blog

This is Nipper, famously known as the dog in the “His Master’s Voice” painting by Francis Barraud, and more famously known as the icon for HMV. Nipper sadly died in London in 1895 so how is he linked to Bold Street, Liverpool? Well, it would seem Nipper listened to his owner Francis Barraud’s phonograph and ‘appeared curious as to where the sound came from’. Some three years after Nipper died, Francis Barraud painted the scene of Nipper listening to the phonograph and called his work “Dog looking at and listening to a Phonograph”. He completed it in 1898.

According to this website, Barraud (above) then decided to rename the painting “His Master’s Voice” and tried to exhibit it at the Royal Academy. He was turned down, and many people he showed the painting were confused as to the scene. Following some thought and alterations to the original picture, The Gramophone Company bought the painting and the image appeared in the Gramophone Company’s advertising in 1900.

And the rest of the story we know; “His Master’s Voice” eventually turned into “HMV’ the ubiquitous Music Brand (also now on Bold Street in Liverpool). Erik Ostergaard tells the full tale via is website and further commentary is available on the DesignBoom website. In our own Bold Street research however, Laura has managed to uncover yet more on this tale.

This is from an essay enclosed in a letter from Philip Barraud to David Chandler Esq. at the National Portrait Gallery in 1985.

“Another Barraud photographer who is perhaps not so well known was Philip George (1859-1929) in Liverpool, a very much younger son of Henry and brother of Herbert. Born in 1859 he does not seem to have done much in the business line until he became engaged to his future wife, Amy Ingham. Eventually he started business as a photographer in Bold Street, Liverpool. Certainly he was in business there when his older brother, Mark Henry died in 1887, because his brother Francis James (who followed Herbert at Mayalls in London;) went to Liverpool, taking with him his dead brother’s dog “Nipper”, the subject of the painting “His Master’s Voice” which became the trademark of H.M.V Gramophone Co. It was in the photographic studio in Liverpool that the dog listened to the phonograph and the idea for the picture of born.”

So there we have it, even though Nipper lived in Kingston Upon Thames, it was in Liverpool, in a photographic studio on Bold Street that Nipper first listened to the phonograph!

For more information see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Barraud_painting.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Barraud
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nipper
http://www.danbbs.dk/~erikoest/nipper.htm