Summary
This is a black & white postcard of the Exhibition Building, showing the south west facade through the small shrubs and trees of the garden, pre 1905. The postcard was sent to Miss E Langsford, Queen Street, Norwood, Adelaide and is dated 23 December 1905.
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 black & white photograph of the Exhibition Building showing the south west facade with the garden and an unmade pathway in the foreground. A thin white border is on the left of the photograph and a wider white border is on the right, which contains a handwritten inscription in black ink. On the reverse of the postcard there is a handwritten address in black ink.
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), 1996
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Place & Date Made
Australia, pre 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, pre 1905
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Addressed To
Miss E Langsford, Adelaide, Greater Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, 1905
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Place & Date Used
Surrey Hills, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, pre 1905
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Inscriptions
Obverse, text: EXHIBITION/ MELBOURNE; Copyright. Obverse, handwritten: With loving/ greetings/ for you,/ happiness/ this Christmas/ tide. Delighted/ to hear of the/ wonderful/ success of/ your nephews/ How tall are/ you now?/ Will write a/ letter shortly/ Very unsettled/ just now/ Yours as ever/ M.E. O'D. Reverse, text: POST CARD; THE ADDRESS TO BE WRITTEN ON THIS SIDE. Reverse, handwritten: Miss E Langsford/ Queen Street/ Norwood/ Adelaide/ South Australia. Reverse, postmarked: SURREY HILLS/ DE 23/ 05/ VIC
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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), 89 mm (Height)
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Keywords
Buildings, Christmas Cards, Civic Mementoes, Correspondence, Exterior Views, Postcards, Royal Exhibition Building, Souvenirs
