Summary
This is a colour postcard of the Exhibition Building, showing the southern facade of the building from the south west, circa 1905. The postcard, which is unused, was printed in Britain.
The Exhibition Building was built for the 1880 Melbourne International Exhibition, which opened to visitors on 1 October 1880. On 9 May 1901, it hosted the opening of the First Commonwealth Parliament of Australia. By the early 20th century, picture postcards of the Exhibition Building were a popular Melbourne souvenir.
The division of the reverse of the postcard, allowing a message to be written on one half and the address on the other, was not permitted in Australia until 1905.
Physical Description
A colour tinted photograph of the Exhibition Building and grounds from the south west corner. The sky is tinted in orange and blue to represent a sunset. The domes of the building are brown and the gardens and trees are in green. On the reverse of the card there is space to write an address and to place a stamp. The card is unused.
More Information
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Collection Names
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Collecting Areas
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Acquisition Information
Purchase
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Place & Date Made
England, Great Britain, circa 1905
The division of the reverse of the postcard, allowing a message to be written on one half and the address on the other, was not permitted in Britain until 1902 and Australia until 1905. -
Place Depicted
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Inscriptions
Obverse, text: The Exhibition Building, Melbourne. Reverse, text: POST CARD; THIS SPACE MAY BE USED/ FOR COMMUNICATION; THE ADDRESS ONLY TO BE/ WRITTEN HERE; INLAND,/ 1/2d./ STAMP./ FOREIGN,/ 1d./ (Printed in Britain.)
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Classification
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Category
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Discipline
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Type of item
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Overall Dimensions
138 mm (Width), 88 mm (Height)
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Keywords
Buildings, Civic Mementoes, Exterior Views, Postcards, Royal Exhibition Building, Souvenirs
