From The Scoop: Nipper

From the April 7 issue of Gemstone Publishing's The Scoop:

Did you know that one of America's best known spokesdogs wasn't even native to the country? Nipper, widely recognized as the "RCA dog," was actually born and bred in Bristol, England circa 1884. He was part bull terrier and a trace of fox terrier.

When his original owner died, Nipper became the pet of the Barraud brothers, Mark and Francis. Francis would later be credited as the creator of one of the most memorable advertising images of all time.

Around 1895, Francis noticed Nipper tilting his head attentively in front of his old phonograph. He chuckled to himself that, perhaps the dog was waiting to hear his old master's voice. This would provide the stunning inspiration for "His Master's Voice," an oil painting which captured Nipper in front of the phonograph.

Gramophone Company Limited in London purchased the painting in 1899 for £100. It became so popular that, by the time of his death on August 29, 1924, Francis Barraud had been commissioned by the Gramophone and Victor companies to make 24 copies of his painting.

Eldridge Johnson, founder of Victor Talking Machine Company (which would, in 1929, become part RCA), became the eventual American owner of the Nipper-inspired painting.

But his popularity and prominence didn't end with print ads. A 15-foot statue of Nipper was displayed in the city of Baltimore for nearly two decades. In 1916, the 11-story tower in the RCA building in Camden, New Jersey was fitted with four 15-foot stain glass circular windows shaped in Nipper's likeness. Years later, when the building was shut down, the Nipper-shaped tower windows were donated to the Smithsonian Institution. In 1999, in an attempt to make the building more attractive to developers, the City of Camden commissioned Philadelphia artist John Beirs to recreate four new stained-glass panels to replace the originals.

Today, RCA still features Nipper--the British-American mutt who would be marketing king--but not with his trademark gramophone. Instead, he is accompanied by a potential successor (should the floppy-eared intuitive scamp ever retire) named Chipper.

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