British company sleeve · The Parlophone Co., Clerkenwell Road

Parlophone “The Record of Quality” and “For Real Music”

A Parlophone company sleeve with composer portraits on the front and a list of famous artistes, needles, a soundbox and pick-ups on the back.

Dating at a glance

Printed: c. 1931 – 1934
not after 1937
In use: The early to mid 1930s
Confidence: Medium for not after 1937. Low to medium for the narrower range
Basis: The Irish Free State wording, the artistes named, and the electrical equipment advertised

The sleeve

Brown paper printed in dark brown. Front: PARLOPHONE The Record of Quality, with two portraits of 18th-century composers (not identified on the sleeve) either side of the £-shaped Parlophone trade mark in a wreath. One panel reads More than 17 separate national repertoires are searched each month to provide the music lover at home with the finest records of the finest artistes in the world—on Parlophone Records. The other calls the Parlophone catalogue a Treasure House of Musical Masterpieces. There is a pencil tick near the top.

Back: PARLOPHONE FOR REAL MUSIC. One panel advertises Parlophone Electric Records, Parlophone needles, Parlophone LINDEX 301 — the Perfect Sound Box for Electrical Recordings and Pantophone Electrical Pick-ups. The other is headed Some of the FAMOUS ARTISTES to be heard at their best on PARLOPHONE RECORDS.

Lotte Lehmann · Emmy Bettendorf · Eide Norena · Olga Haley · Conchita Supervia · Ninon Vallin · Richard Tauber · Lauritz Melchoir [sic] · Moriz Rosenthal · Jan Kiepura · Robert Naylor · Leslie Hutchinson · Ronald Frankau · Elsie & Doris Waters · Lilian Harvey · Ann Suter · Berlin State Opera Orchestra · Paris Philharmonic · La Scala (Milan) · Harry Roy’s Band · Orchestra Mascotte · Edith Lorand · Dajos Bela, etc.

Along the foot, MADE IN ENGLAND between two caution notices, which mention British and Irish Free State patents, and the imprint THE PARLOPHONE COMPANY, Ltd., 102, Clerkenwell Road London, E.C. 1.

Brown Parlophone sleeve front: The Record of Quality, with two composer portraits and the Parlophone trade mark in a wreath. — Front. Select the image for a larger view.

Brown Parlophone sleeve back: For Real Music, with panels advertising needles, a soundbox and pick-ups, and a list of famous artistes. — Back, with the list of artistes.

The evidence

DocumentedNot before 1923. The British Parlophone Company was set up on 8 August 1923 (Wikipedia).
InferredProbably not after 1937. The caution notice names the Irish Free State, which became Éire under the constitution in force from the end of December 1937.
InferredElectrical recording era. “Electric Records”, a soundbox “for Electrical Recordings” and electrical pick-ups to fit existing machines point to the late 1920s or early 1930s.
DocumentedHarry Roy. Harry Roy recorded for Oriole in August 1931 and moved to Parlophone soon after, according to a collectors’ forum (Talking Machine Forum). If that is right, a sleeve naming Harry Roy’s Band among Parlophone artistes is from late 1931 or later.
InferredSo, probably about 1931–1934. The mix of German and British artistes fits the early 1930s. We have not checked when each artiste joined or left Parlophone, so the narrower range is a working estimate.

Sources

Wikipedia, Parlophone (British company founded 1923): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parlophone
Talking Machine Forum, Harry Roy’s Bat Club Boys on Oriole, 1931: https://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewtopic.php?t=59594

What we could not find

A dated example of this sleeve, or a dated Parlophone advertisement for the Lindex 301 soundbox and Pantophone pick-ups.
The dates when the listed artistes left Parlophone, which would tighten the upper limit.
The two composers in the portraits.

Researched 12 November 2026 from Simon’s photographs of that evening.