Summary
This is a colour postcard of the Exhibition Building, showing a view of the lake and southern facade in 1904. The postcard was printed by Robert Jolley, Melbourne and was sent to Derbyshire, England in August 1904. Robert Jolley began postcard production in Melbourne around 1900.
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 with a white border along the bottom. View of the Exhibition Building from the south east corner, with the lake in the foreground. There is a handwritten inscription on the front of the card. On the reverse, there is a handwritten address in black ink. In the upper right hand corner there are two Victorian postage stamps, one green and one orange.
More Information
-
Collection Names
-
Collecting Areas
-
Acquisition Information
Transfer from Trustees of the Royal Exhibition Building (REB), Sep 1991
-
Publisher
Robert Jolley, Melbourne, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1904
-
Place & Date Depicted
Royal Exhibition Building (REB), Melbourne, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1904
-
Addressed To
Reverend Mother Superior, Belper, Derbyshire, England, Great Britain, 1904
-
Inscriptions
Obverse, text: Exhibition Building, Melbourne.; ROBERT JOLLEY, MELB. Obverse, handwritten: Aug 23rd. English Mail in but no letter from Crowser/ dearest. ... to have a line next week./ - All well- . Fond love. Srs S.M.S. Reverse, text: POST CARD; THE ADDRESS ONLY TO BE WRITTEN ON THIS SIDE Reverse, handwritten: The/ Rev'd Mother Superior/ The Sisterhood/ Belper (?)/ Derbyshire/ England Reverse, postmarked: MELBOURNE/ PM/ 1230/ 24.8.04
-
Classification
-
Category
-
Discipline
-
Type of item
-
Overall Dimensions
140 mm (Width), 89 mm (Height)
-
References
See Cook, David. 'Picture Postcards in Australia 1898-1920' pp138-139 for info on Robert Jolley.
-
Keywords
Buildings, Civic Mementoes, Correspondence, Exterior Views, Postcards, Royal Exhibition Building, Souvenirs
