The iconic ‘dog staring into a gramophone’ sign that has long been synonymous with the institution that is D’Amato Records in Valletta, dubbed as one of the oldest record shops in the world, has been returned to its owners following a six-month restoration.
The ‘His Master’s Voice’ sign, which had been hanging outside the shop since just after World War II, suffered significant damage by a crane from a nearby construction site earlier this year, requiring its removal and restoration.
In an interview with TimesofMalta.com, co-owner of D’Amato Records, Anthony D’Amato, said the sign has “survived the construction storm of Malta.”
“The restoration has taken around six months – a super job by Pierre [Bugeja] and his team at PrevArti. You can still see the slight damage on the side, which are the missing parts and have been replaced with Perspex.”
A replica was placed outside so that the restored, original sign could be preserved indoors, where it hangs proudly for all visitors from near and far to see. “We’re very happy for the sign to be hanging inside,” said Anthony, “hopefully for many years to come.”
Pierre Bugeja, founder and senior conservator at PrevArti, explained that damages were documented, samples were taken and analysed, and a great effort was undertaken to understand exactly what material the sign is made from for its appropriate cleaning and eventual fixing.
“What clearly emerged from this process is that the sign is an artefact, there’s just nothing like it, including the material used to make it. Even if we had the missing pieces and wanted to put them back together, it still wouldn’t be perfect,” said Pierre.
“In our intervention, we wanted to leave the damage on display as part of its story. We used a semi-transparent Perspex, which absorbs the colour on the other side of the sign, but in a subtle way. This way, the sign was integrated and preserved for future generations.”
As depicted on the sign, His Master’s Voice (HMV) was a registered British music and entertainment retailer founded by The Gramophone Company Ltd in 1921. It was named after a famous painting by British artist Francis Barraud, which depicts a dog named Nipper staring down a gramophone.
The painting, which was adopted as a trademark of the recording industry, went on to become one of the most well-known commercial logos worldwide.
Photos: D’Amato Records
