Nipper: A Giant Tribute to Music’s Most Famous Dog

Step inside the Huguenot Museum and you will come face to face with a true rock star of music history, a colossal 1937 painting of Nipper that stretches twelve feet wide and six and a half feet tall. Once the crown jewel of HMV’s flagship store on Oxford Street, this larger-than-life tribute now hangs proudly in the museum, keeping the spirit of vintage sound and timeless branding alive. It is more than a painting; it is a backstage pass to the golden age of music.

Nipper, the famous dog from the painting His Master’s Voice, was a real animal, a mixed-breed terrier likely part Fox Terrier or Jack Russell Terrier. Born in 1884 in Bristol, England, Nipper first belonged to Mark Barraud, the brother of artist Francis Barraud. After Mark’s death, Francis adopted the dog and later painted him in the now-legendary pose: curiously listening to a phonograph, puzzled by the recorded sound of his late master’s voice.

It is difficult to say how the idea came to me beyond the fact that it suddenly occurred to me that to have my dog listening to the phonograph, with an intelligent and rather puzzled expression, and call it ‘His Master’s Voice’ would make an excellent subject. We had a phonograph and I often noticed how puzzled he was to make out where the voice came from. It certainly was the happiest thought I ever had. — Francis Barraud

Painted in 1898 and registered as a trademark in the United States in July 1900, His Master’s Voice became one of the earliest and most enduring examples of corporate branding using an animal. The image was adopted by the Victor Talking Machine Company and later by RCA, the Radio Corporation of America, turning Nipper into a global symbol of recorded sound and modern technology.

Legend has it that Francis Barraud first tried to sell his painting to the Edison Bell Company, the very folks behind the phonograph featured in the image. But instead of jumping at the chance, they turned up their noses, unimpressed by the sentimental little scene of a dog and a machine.

Not ready to give up, Barraud took the advice of a friend who suggested he swap out the old phonograph horn for one of the shiny new brass models made by the rising Gramophone Company. Taking the hint, Barraud headed to their offices on Maiden Lane, just off the Strand in London, and asked if he could borrow one of their horns for reference.

Their reply was short and sweet: “Of course, and if you replace the phonograph with one of our Gramophones, we’ll buy the painting.” That simple offer changed everything. Barraud went back to his easel, made the tweak, and in doing so turned a once-rejected idea into one of the most iconic images in music history, the symbol of recorded sound itself, forever etched in pop culture like a platinum record that never stops spinning.

Nipper’s Journey: From Bristol to Music History

• 1884: Nipper is born in Bristol, England. His exact breed is unknown; he was likely a mix of Smooth Fox Terrier, Jack Russell, or Bull Terrier.
• 1887–1890s: After his original owner, Barraud’s brother, passes away, Nipper comes into the care of Francis Barraud, who is living in Liverpool at the time. During this period, Nipper becomes a familiar companion, and Barraud begins to notice his curious behavior around sound recordings.
• 1895: Nipper dies in September. Barraud later moves to London, where he experiments with the phonograph and eventually creates the iconic painting His Master’s Voice.
• 1900s: The painting is adapted as the logo for the Gramophone Company and later HMV cements Nipper as a symbol of music worldwide.

I first crossed paths with Nipper in spirit the day I scored my very first Elvis Presley record. The moment I dropped the needle and that opening riff of “Jailhouse Rock” kicked in, the room lit up like a rock ’n’ roll cathedral. Spinning at the center of it all was Nipper, the ultimate roadie of sound, locked in eternal devotion on the old RCA label, head tilted like he was feeling every beat straight from the King himself.

While Elvis shook the walls, Nipper was there, frozen in that timeless pose, forever listening to the music that never dies. To me, he wasn’t just a logo; he was the patron saint of vinyl, guarding the soul of rock ’n’ roll one revolution at a time.

Over the decades, Nipper’s image became as timeless as the music he represented, and he is often considered the second-oldest mascot in advertising history after the Quaker Oats man, with a trademark registered in 1877. The Michelin Man is another very old and well-known mascot, appearing in a poster in 1898. Interestingly, when attempts were made around 1900 to recreate the scene with another dog, the replacement refused to listen to the phonograph, proving that Nipper’s devotion to his master’s voice could never be copied.

It is astonishing to realize that Nipper has been gone for more than 130 years. The painting itself, inspired by Thomas Edison’s 1877 invention of the phonograph, stands as a lasting connection between art, sound, and emotion. The Nipper painting at the Huguenot Museum continues to celebrate this bond, keeping alive one of the most enduring icons of music and culture.