Casey and Peanut: Article From SubmitYOURArticle.com: His Masters Voice and Other Famous Dog Paintings

Did you know that the RCA logo was originally a
famous painting by Francis Barraud called His
Masters Voice. For those of you who've lived in a
cave for the past half century, it's a painting
of a fox terrier named Nipper sitting in front of
an old Gramophone listening to a sound that
obviously puzzles him a bit, the voice of his
deceased master. The image was so powerful in the
early days of the record industry that it was
adopted as the logo of the Victor Talking Machine
Company, which would later on become RCA Victor
in 1909. All records made by the company after
that were referred to in the industry as HMV (His
Masters Voice) records.

Today, RCA is owned by EMI, which is also the
parent company of JVC, and the HMV logo is known
throughout the world. Its copyright expired in
1989, after several RCA ownership changes, so the
famous dog painting of Nipper is now the property
of the general public. Its latest appearance in a
film was in the 2006 movie Superman Returns, when
an HMV radio is shown in the home of the young
Clark Kent in the opening scenes. Ironically, the
HMV radio was never sold in the United States, so
the prop is a dead giveaway that the film wasn't
made in the US. It was in fact filmed in
Australia.

Dogs Playing Cards

If you live in the United States, you have seen
and most likely own at least one depiction of the
famous Dogs Playing Cards paintings that were
painted in the early years of the Twentieth
Century. Did you know that there are actually
sixteen of these paintings altogether? They were
commissioned in 1903 by a company called Brown
and Bigelow to be used as advertising for their
cigars. The artist, C.M. Coolidge, had no idea
that his works would become famous American
icons. Though considered relatively cheap home
décor today, the original oil paintings are
worth quite a bit. On February 15, 2005, the
originals of two in the set, A Bold Bluff and
Waterloo, were auctioned together for $590,400.
Before that time, the most ever paid for a
Coolidge was $74,000.

The Dog

There is one dog painting that stands apart from
the rest because of its significance to the art
world and artists everywhere. The Dog, a painting
done in the home of Spanish artist Francisco Goya
some time between 1819 and 1823, is one of the
famous "Black Paintings" he left behind at Quinta
del Sordo. The dog itself in the picture is only
a small head peaking out over a dark mass that
slopes upward and framed against a dirty ochre
sky that highlights its features. The image was
originally painted with oils onto the wall of the
villa, but was transferred to canvas after Goya's
death. In the art world, it is said to be one of
the first Symbolist paintings of the Western
world, depicting a powerful image of man's
struggle against seemingly insurmountable
obstacles.

Saved and The Distinguished Member of the Humane
Society

Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, best known for his lion
sculptures in Trafalgar Square, London, created a
dog painting called Saved in 1856 which depicts a
Newfoundland dog saving a small child from
drowning. Eighteen years previous to that he had
used the same dog breed for his now famous The
Distinguished Member of the Humane Society. Each
of the dogs portrayed, which may actually be two
images of the same animal, are of the black and
white variety of Newfoundland not particularly
common at the time. His obvious love for this
particular breed made Landseer famous with dog
kennels and shows around the world. The Landseer
Newfoundland is named after him.

Blue Dogs and the Legend of Loup Garou

In 1992, George Rodrigue, a Cajun artist from New
Iberia, Louisiana, painted a series of paintings
called The Blue Dog Pictures which were made
popular by an advertising campaign done by
Absolute Vodka. The blue dog has popped up in
numerous other venues since then, but it wasn't
created for commercial purposes. Rodrigue based
his paintings on the Cajun legend of Loup Garou,
the werewolf that is said to haunt the swamplands
surrounding Acadiana and New Orleans. Parents
teach their children morality lessons using the
character and the commercial use of the blue dog
has softened its image, but both Cajun and
ancient American Indians still declare there's a
factual basis for the story. Is there a werewolf
in the bayou?

Sun Dogs in the Skies Above Stockholm

Vädersolstavlan, translated as The Sun Dog
Painting, was produced in 1535 at the behest of
King Gustav Vasa of Sweden. Though not what you'd
call a traditional dog painting, this timeless
masterpiece is regarded as the first depiction of
the atmospheric phenomenon known as sun dogs, a
condition that was considered by the people of
the time to be a sign from above. King Gustav
conscripted the painting to prove that an
occurrence of sun dogs on April 20 of that year
was not a cherubic response to his switch from
Catholicism to the Protestant faith, but the
painting was so powerful it actually seemed to
the superstitious people of the time that the
event was a divine manifestation. The controversy
and subsequent persecution of the artists,
Chancellor Olaus Petri and clergyman Laurentius
Andreae, made the painting a highly sought after
piece of artwork. It is also the oldest depiction
of Stockholm itself. The original has been lost,
but a copy from the 1630s can still be seen at
Storkyrkan Church in Stockholm.

A Dog Painting of Your Favorite Breed

The classics may not be the right choice for your
home and that's okay. You can find paintings of
your favorite dog breeds in many different forms
at a number of easy to get to locations. Pet
stores have them, as do gift shops and department
stores. Adorn your walls with images of your
favorites or classics produced centuries ago.
Your final choice is entirely up to you and will
be different from anyone else's. The only real
common bond between dog owners is their love of
the animal itself. Others will know looking at
your walls and mantles that you share that love.

----------------------------------------------------
Trey Markel is a marketing associate for Animal
Blue Print Company. Along with Robert Redding
(CEO) ABC creates architectural blue prints of
multiple dog breeds. Robert Redding is the
former VP of Design for Quicksilver and has a
passion for pets. For more information please
visit:
http://www.animalblueprintcompany.com

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