The story of how the world famous trade mark, "His Master's Voice," came into existence, is so interestingly told by Francis Barraud, the man who painted the original picture, that a part of his account as it appeared in "Strand" magazine for August, 1916, is here reproduced - with an occasional added detail, contained in a footnote, by your secretary:
"I think I am safe in saying that everyone in any civilized part of the world knows the little dog looking into the trumpet and listening to "His Master's Voice," so perhaps I may be forgiven for telling the public in these columns something about Nipper, the original model.
"I painted the picture before I had ever heard of the Gram-o-phone Co., (1) and the instrument which appeared in it was a talking machine of non-descript type. (2) I called it "His Master's Voice" and showed it to several publishers, as I thought there would be a demand for it as a new production. These gentlemen, however, were not of the same opinion; one well known man objected on the score that no one would know what the dog was doing. Another very generous and_venturesome publisher offered me five pounds for it, but I was not tempted. Meanwhile I was thinking of improvement; I was not satisfied with the trumpet I had painted. It was black and ugly, and I wanted something more pictorial. One day a friend of mine suggested that I should call on the Gram-o-phone Co. and ask them to lend me a brass horn to paint from; so armed with a small photograph of my oil painting I paid them a visit at their offices, which were then in Maiden Lane. To a gentleman I saw there I explained what I required, and showed him the photograph. He asked at once if he might show it to the manager, Mr. Barry Owen. I agreed. Mr Owen shortly came out and asked me if the picture was for sale and asked me if I could introduce a machine of their own make, a gram-o-phone, instead of the one in the picture. I replied that the picture was for sale, and I could make the alteration if they would let me have an instrument to paint from.
"The change was made, (4) and the picture was bought from me. I then advised the Gram-o-phone Co. not to make it an obvious advertisement by putting their name across the background, but to leave it without any lettering, and merely give it the title I had already suggested, namely, "His Master's Voice." I pointed out that the subject spoke for itself and required no explanation.
"Nipper, the original living dog, belonged to my brother Mark, who was a scenic artist at Bristol for many years. He is now dead. (5)
"Mr. Alfred Clark, the managing director of the Gram-o-phone Co., told a friend of mine that it might interest me to know that out at their head offices and factories at Hayes, Middlesex, they have frequent fire drill practice; should an actual conflagration take place the firemen have instructions that the first thing to be saved is the original picture of "His Master's Voice" which hangs in the board room. He also stated that from first to last over a million pounds had been spent in reproducing it. If Nipper only knew that he would wag his little stumpy tail so proudly. He did not know he was going to be handed down to posterity. No more did I. Nipper bids fair to go on listening into the ages.
"As soon as Mr. Emile Berliner saw the picture (6) he not only purchased copies to give to his friends, but conceived the idea that this picture might be used as a trade-mark for the gramophone, and he took immediate steps which gave him the legal right to this picture as a trade-mark both in the United States and in Canada. (7) No trade-mark was ever better received by a discerning public and by the advertising fraternity."
Footnotes