Person    | Male  Born 16/6/1856  Died 29/8/1924

Francis Barraud

Categories: Art

Painter based in Liverpool. Born London or Liverpool (sources differ). Son of Henry, also an artist, and brother to Mark, a theatre scenery painter, whose dog Nipper, he (possibly with another brother, Philip) looked after following Mark's death in 1887.

From Wikipedia "According to contemporary Gramophone Company publicity material" he also inherited a cylinder phonograph and recordings of Mark's voice. He noticed that Nipper looked appealingly puzzled when these were played and, 3 years after Nipper died, Barraud created the painting, and offered it to the manufacturer of the machine, Edison-Bell. They rejected it ("dogs don't listen to phonographs"). But the London-based Gramophone Company agreed to buy the painting if Barraud changed it to show their disc-playing phonograph.

This was done and the image went on to become an early celebrated trademark, used by a number of related record labels: Victor, RCA, EMI. Seems the title "His Master's Voice" came from a picture-naming competition.

We find the story about recordings of Mark's voice too cute - the dog listening to normal commercial recordings is more believable. We've also heard that some (overly sentimental) people see the polished surface on which Nipper sits as his master's coffin.

In the photo Barraud looks truly sick of the painting. Like an ageing pop singer being asked to sing his only hit, yet again. Buried in Hampstead Cemetery.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Francis Barraud

Commemorated ati

Francis Barraud & Nipper

In 1899 at 126 Piccadilly Francis Barraud completed his famous painting of 'N...

Read More

Other Subjects

Peter De Wint

Peter De Wint

Water colour painter.  Born Stoke-on-Trent.  Came to London to study painting.  Died at home, 40 Upper Gower Street.

Person, Art

1 memorial
Paolo Veronese

Paolo Veronese

Artist. Born in Verona as Paolo Caliari (he took his professional name from his birthplace). He trained as a stone-cutter, but under the influence of Titian settled in Venice. He produced frescoes ...

Person, Art, Italy

2 memorials
Gilbert and George

Gilbert and George

Artists.  George Passmore was born 8 January 1942 in Plymouth.  Gilbert Proesch was born 17 September 1943 in Italy.  They first met on 25 September 1967 while studying sculpture at Saint Martin's ...

Group, Art

1 memorial
Sir Godfrey Kneller

Sir Godfrey Kneller

Portrait painter. His set of portraits of Kit-Cat Club members is on display in the National Portrait Gallery.

Person, Art

1 memorial
Mick Jones

Mick Jones

Mural painter.  Grew up in Coventry and Birmingham.  Son of Jack Jones, trade union leader. Together with Simon Barber, formed the Art-Workers Co-Op which created the Fitzrovia mural in 1980. He al...

Person, Art

2 memorials

Previously viewed

White Hart Inn

White Hart Inn

Established in the medieval period and referenced by Shakespeare in 'Henry VI' and by Dickens in 'Pickwick Papers'.  Not to be confused with the nearby White Hart at 22 Great Suffolk Street.

Building, Community / Clubs, Food & Drink, Literature

1 memorial