[1] In December 1899, the painting was sold to William Barry Owen of London's Gramophone Company (later a division of EMI), using the imagery on its sound equipment.

With the Gramophone Company and RCA Victor both eventually operating outside of their respective countries, the His Master's Voice painting became one of the world's best-known trademarks, featured on sound equipment, music releases and retail stores worldwide.

[3][4]The phrase was coined in the late 1890s from the title of a painting by English artist Francis Barraud, which depicted a dog named Nipper listening to a wind-up disc gramophone and tilting his head.

[citation needed] The painting had been originally offered to James Hough, manager of Edison-Bell in London, but he declined, saying "dogs don't listen to phonographs".

[citation needed] William Barry Owen, the American founder of the Gramophone Company in England, offered to purchase the painting for £100, under the condition that Barraud modify it to show one of their disc machines.