Brunswick (U.S.A.) / 1920
Corporate background:
The Brunswick-Balke-Callender Co. started
out as pool table manufacturers in the U.S. in 1845, and became
involved in the phonograph cabinet business in the early 1900s.
In 1917 they test-marketed their own line
of vertical-cut records in Canada, switching to lateral-cut
records in 1919.
The label was sold to Warner Brothers in
1930.
Design: The
upper segment has the same ‘winged’ look as the
Victor ‘bat-wing’ label,
with a centred logo either side of bracketed supports (in this
case decorated) and the label name positioned immediately
below.
The four-colour label (five with the
imprinting) is quite a tight register job, with concentric
shapes having to line up perfectly (especially critical in the
white release enclosing the lower panel).