Summary
This is a colour postcard of the Exhibition Building, showing a view through the garden of the south west corner of the building, circa 1906. The postcard was sent to Miss J Martin, 20 Bellair St, Kensington.
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 photograph of the Exhibition Building showing the south west facade with lawn, shrubs and gardens in the foreground. Part of the sky has been tinted orange. Three boys are sitting on the grass in front of the building. On the reverse of the postcard there is a handwritten inscription and address in black ink and two green Victorian postage stamps. The postmark is illegible.
More Information
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Collection Names
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Collecting Areas
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Acquisition Information
Purchase & Subsequent Transfer from Trustees of the Royal Exhibition Building (REB), Sep 1991
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Place & Date Made
Australia, by 1908
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 1908
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Addressed To
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Date Used
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Inscriptions
Obverse, text: EXHIBITION BUILDINGS/ MELBOURNE Reverse, text: POST CARD; CORRESPONDENCE HERE Reverse, handwritten: Dear Miss Martin,/ Thanks very/ much for P.C. forgot/ to send one before./ Hoping there is/ some of you left/ after the heat./ Ethel; Miss. J. Martin/ 20 Bellair St/ Kensington
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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, Correspondence, Exterior Views, Postcards, Royal Exhibition Building, Souvenirs