Summary
This is a colour postcard of the Exhibition Building showing the south west facade of the building in 1905. The postcard, which is unused, was printed as part of Cole's Sunny Australia Series.
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 viewed from south west with an unmade pathway in the foreground. The sky in the photograph has been tinted blue. On the reverse of the card there is space to write a message, an address and to place a stamp. The card is unused.
More Information
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Collection Names
Royal Exhibition Building Collection, Cole's Book Arcade Collection
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Collecting Areas
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Acquisition Information
Transfer from Trustees of the Royal Exhibition Building (REB), 1996
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Publisher
Mr. Edward W. Cole - Cole's Book Arcade, Melbourne, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 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 & Date Depicted
Royal Exhibition Building (REB), Melbourne, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1905
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Inscriptions
Obverse, text: EXHIBITION BUILDINGS, MELBOURNE. Reverse, text: POST CARD; This space may be used for correspondence; The Address to be written here.; PENNY/ STAMP /HERE.
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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
141 mm (Width), 89 mm (Height)
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References
See Cook, David. 'Picture Postcards in Australia 1898-1920' for information regarding postcards.
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Keywords
Buildings, Civic Mementoes, Exterior Views, Postcards, Royal Exhibition Building, Souvenirs
