The "Real" Story Behind "His Master's Voice"

[Starkton]

„Not „His Master’s Voice“. – Simon Wolf Explains Famous Picture of Talking Machine. – Says Dog, Gift of German Friend, Heard Favorite Folksong and Thought He Recognized Tones. – [...]
„Edward F. Leyh, a Baltimore newspaper man, owned a black Dane known as Nero,“ said Mr. Wolf [of Washington D.C.]. „He was a splendid specimen and universally known in that city. He was also known here, as upon Mr. Leyh’s visits the dog always accompanied him. [...]“
[One day, by the circumstances, Leyh presented] the dog to Mrs. Wolf.
„[...] One day Mr. Berliner, inventor of a talking machine, asked W. F. Elterich, an attorney of this city, who has since joined the majority, to talk for the machine so as to get a German folklore song, to wit, ‚Struwelpeter.’ Elterich’s voice resembled very much, in character and guttural emphasis, that of my friend Leyh.
Mr. Berliner presented me with one of the plates. One evening Mrs. Wolf, to amuse some visitors, started up the machine, and among other plates she inserted this piece of Elterich’s. Nero, who was lying in the extreme part of the room, the moment he heard that voice, jumped up and poked his nose right into the instrument, thinking he heard Mr. Leyh’s voice.
A few days thereafter I told Mr. Berliner of the incident, and he was equally surprised and also pleased. He communicated this fact to his people in Hanover, Germany, who were manufacturing the machine [sic], and they adopted the device, which has now become world famous. Of course, the Hanover people thought it was a small dog, and had no conception that it was a ‚Bismarck dogge,’ and hence the device is now seen in the shape of a small white dog.“ (The Washington Post, July 2, 1907, p. 11)


When I read the above article I was thunderstruck. I have in my collection a Berliner disc, recorded on May 30, 1896. Indeed William Elterich, a famous member of the German community in Washington, D.C. recites a story from "Struwelpeter: Paulinchen With the Matches." As far as I know, only one of Elterich's discs (he recorded a dozen) has ever surfaced, see below:

[Sidewinder]

Starkton, congratulations on finding the disc!

Of course the "Real" story it is not, as the history of Francis Barraud's painting is very well documented, and Berliner only filed his "HMV" trademark in July 1900, some months after (october 1899) the British office had purchassed the painting, and after Berliner's visit in London in May 1900 where he saw the painting.

[OrthoFan]

Of course the "Real" story it is not, as the history of Francis Barraud's painting is very well documented, and Berliner only filed his "HMV" trademark in July 1900, some months after (october 1899) the British office had purchassed the painting, and after Berliner's visit in London in May 1900 where he saw the painting.

Not to mention the fact that the original painting still exists***--last I heard--with the "shadow" of the Edison phonograph underneath the Improved Gramophone Francis Barraud had substituted in its place.

*** http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/ ... 596742.ece (Only worth 500,000 pounds?)

[Starkton]

As far as I can see, the British Gramophone Co. did nothing to exploit the HMV trademark after the picture was hang up in William Barry Owen's bureau in October 1899.

Interesting in this connection: Deutsche Grammophon in Hanover was first to bring out HMV postcards in or before April 1900.
Mr. Wolf's story had sensitized Emile Berliner and his telegram to Hanover could have speeded up the introduction of Nipper.

[1926CredenzaOwner]

!

[Sidewinder]

Not to mention the fact that the original painting still exists***--last I heard--with the "shadow" of the Edison phonograph underneath the Improved Gramophone Francis Barraud had substituted in its place.

The machine is an Edison Bell Commercial. The painting hangs in the EMI head office at Hayes near London. A gent by the name of Leonard Petts had found, (in the early 1970's) the original photo that F. Barraud had deposited soon after painting the original as proof of copyright. The Cramophone company in London saw the painting and offered to buy it if Barraud would paint the dog listening to their phonograph. And hence the EB commercial became overpainted with the "trademark" machine. Mr Petts wrote an excellent pamphlet about his research, and deserves a lot of credit for his efforts. The booklet if one can find it is worth reading.