Francis James Barraud

Born: 1856

Death: 1924

Biography:

Francis James Barraud was an English painter – the son of portrait photographer 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 Jack Russel Terrier dog (named Nipper) and phonograph, which is used by the corporations; HMV, RCA Victor, and JVC.
The painting His Master's Voice in its original form was completed in 1899 and originally showed the dog (who had in fact died four 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-Bell Commercial Phonograph and produced by Edison's factory exclusively for the British market,
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 affiliate the Victor Talking Machine Company and soon became one of the world's most recognizable trademarks.

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