Summary
This is a colour postcard of the lake and gardens at the Exhibition Building, circa 1905. The postcard was printed in Great Britain as part of Valentine's Series 53459 by Valentine & Sons' Publishing Co., Ltd, Glasgow.
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 Britain until 1902 and Australia until 1905.
Physical Description
A colour tinted postcard showing the lake in the gardens at the Exhibition Building, Melbourne. The scene looks across the water to a statue of a woman on the far side of the lake. The lake is surrounded by trees and shrubs. The sky is tinted in shades of orange and blue. On the reverse, there is a handwritten message in black ink. There is an orange one penny postage stamp in the the upper right hand corner. There is no date or postmark.
More Information
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Collection Names
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Collecting Areas
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Acquisition Information
Transfer from Trustees of the Royal Exhibition Building (REB), Sep 1991
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Publisher
Valentine & Sons Publishing Co. Ltd., Dundee, Scotland, 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 & Date Depicted
Royal Exhibition Building (REB), Melbourne, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, circa 1905
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Inscriptions
Obverse, text: Exhibition Gardens, Melbourne; 53459 J.V. Reverse, text: POST CARD.; PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN; This space may be used for communication; The Address only to be written/ here; VALENTINE'S SERIES Reverse, handwritten: Dear Ernie/ Buff was going to write this/ to you but could/ not manage it. I/ have Greta in bed with/ the measles since/ last Friday and/ she has been very teary these/ last few days and I have/ not been too well this long/ time myself. Glad to hear/ you are keeping well and/ doing all right at school./ Freda was down for a few/ days with the (?) but/ would not stay here came; on the Saturday/ for the day/ played with/ the children/ and cried for/ Mr (?) after/ she had been/ here about/ 1 1/2 hours./ I was very/ cross with/ her being/ such a/ baby...
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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
137 mm (Width), 87 mm (Height)
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References
For info re Valentine & Sons see: Cook, D 'Picture Postcards in Australia 1898-1920', 1985, p153-154.
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Keywords
Buildings, Civic Mementoes, Correspondence, Exterior Views, Postcards, Royal Exhibition Building, Souvenirs
