Nipper

Nipper was the dog portrayed in the picture His Master's Voice, who was born in 1884 in Bristol, England, and died in September 1895. He was a mixed-breed dog, part Bull Terrier with a trace of Fox Terrier. It has also been claimed in various sources that he was a Fox Terrier, a Rat Terrier, or an American Pit Bull Terrier (unlikely, since he was not an American dog). He was named Nipper because he tried to bite visitors in the leg.

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After his death, his former owner Francis Barraud painted a picture of him listening intently to a wind-up phonograph, which became, in a modifed form, the trademark of Victor and HMV records, HMV music stores, and RCA. (See HMV for a complete history of the brands based on Nipper.)

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Nipper was buried in Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey, in what is now a branch of Lloyds TSB.

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Dog: :...

His Master's Voice: His Master's Voice is a famous trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone. In the photograph on which the painting was based, the dog was listeni...

1884: 1884 is a leap year starting on Tuesday (click on link to calendar)....