Francis Barraud painting of a stray fox terrier found by his brother Mark in 1884 and painted it in 1899, has become synonymous with His Masters Voice (HMV) Records and therefore Hayes as the place where HMV records were manufactured.
Barraud wrote
'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 (Nipper) was to make out where the voice came from. It was certainly the happiest thought I ever had'
Francis Barraud finally sold the picture and the copyright to HMV for one hundred100 pounds in 1899. However the Logo did not appear on British record labels until 1909.
Below pictures of Nipper and the original painting by Barraund
Meanwhile, the workers of Hayes often stated 'We Want the Workers Voice, Not His Masters Voice'
