‘The small print that packs a powerful punch.
It would say if this was the Argos catalogue.’


HMV Dog was first tagged on the streets of Banksy’s hometown of Bristol. Then in 2003, the artist used the stencil on the walls of the courtyard of the Cargo nightclub in London, this time with a colorful background consisting of undefined yellow and orange forms. Cargo, a well-known venue on Rivington Street in the middle of Shoreditch, outside of London, is built inside an old railway tunnel showcasing murals from many urban artists. Acclaimed as a local masterpiece, Banksy’s work has been protected by perspex for about 15 years now and crowds still gather to see it.
Invitation to Cargo Club to inaugurate HMV Dog, June 2003

His Master’s Voice (HMV) was the unofficial name of a major British record label created in 1901 by The Gramophone Co. Ltd. The phrase was first coined in the late 1890s as the title of a painting depicting a terrier dog named Nipper listening to a cylinder phonograph. It is probably the most famous trademark in the recording industry. In 1898, three years after Nipper’s death, Francis Barraud, his owner and brother of his first owner, painted a picture of Nipper listening intently to a wind-up Edison-Bell cylinder phonograph. On February 11, 1899, Francis Barraud filed an application for copyright of his painting “Dog Looking At and Listening to a Phonograph.”



The slogan ‘His Master’s Voice’, along with the painting, was sold to The Gramophone Company for 100 pounds sterling. Francis Barraud said: “It is difficult to say how the idea came to me beyond that 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 was to make out where the voice came from. It certainly was the happiest thought I ever had”
DESCRIPTION
HMV, His Master’s Voice, Rocket Dog
Editions
AUCTION RESULTS
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HMV (unsigned) sold once at auction so far in 2025.
Lyon & Turnbull: 26 March 2025
Estimated: GBP 10,000 – 15,000
GBP 12,600 / USD 16,254
BANKSY (British, 1974-)
HMV (unsigned), 2003
Screenprint
Numbered 323/600 in pencil to margin, with the stamped signature
HMV (signed) has sold once at auction in 2024, for GBP 27,720 (USD 36,868) at Christie’s online on 1 October 2024.
Christie’s online: 1 October 2024
Estimated: GBP 25,000 – 35,000
GBP 27,720 / USD 36,868
BANKSY
HMV Dog (signed), 2003-04
Screenprint in black on wove paper
Signed BANKSY!, dated 04 and numbered 55/150 DN in pencil
A duplicate number impression