TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Re: RCA Victor Nipper Statues Adorn Town

Re: RCA Victor Nipper Statues Adorn Town

Dave Garland (dave.garland@wizinfo.com)
Wed, 13 Jul 2005 01:47:23 -0500

It was a dark and stormy night when hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:

> The Victor phonograph company, which became part of RCA, created a
> logo "His Master's Voice" showing a dog, with his ear lifted,
> listening to a phonograph. This logo became very famous, AFAIK
> remains in use to this day on whoever owns RCA-Victor compact disks
> label (BMG?)

Actually, the logo came from an 1898 painting by Francis Barraud first
titled "Dog looking at and listening to a phonograph" and later
retitled "His Master's Voice". Mr Barraud tried to sell the painting
to the Edison Bell Company, the leading manufacturer of phonographs,
but they weren't interested. However, the Gramophone Company was
interested, providing that he painted out the Edison phonograph and
inserted a picture of their model instead. They bought the revised
painting and the copyright in 1899. A few years later, they merged
with another company to become the Victor Talking Machine Company, and
eventually that company was bought by RCA.

The dog's name was Nipper, because he bit. Nipper died in 1895, a few
years before the painting.

http://www.ieee-virtual-museum.org/collection/event.php?taid=&id=3456893&lid=1

http://www2.danbbs.dk/~erikoest/nipper.htm

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