William Barraud
Born in 1908.
Francis James Barraud (16 June 1856 – 29 August 1924) was a painter known chiefly for the painting His Master's Voice, probably executed between late 1898 and early 1899. The painting and the phrase “His Master's Voice” were registered as trademarks in July 1900. Barraud subsequently developed a practice of painting copies of His Master's Voice, many of which were intended for executives and employees of the Victor Company in the United States.
In 1919, the Victor Company and the Gramophone Company arranged an annual pension of £250 for Barraud, which was increased to £350 in 1924.
He received his artistic training at Heatherley's School of Art and the Royal Academy Schools, where he won the silver medal for life drawing, and also studied at the Beaux-Arts in Antwerp. His first exhibition at the Royal Academy dates from 1881. Among his earlier works is An Encore Too Many (1887), acquired by the Liverpool Corporation and held in the collections of the Walker Art Gallery.