Summary
This is a colour postcard of the south west facade of the Exhibition Building with grass and garden beds in the foreground, circa 1905. The postcard, which has a handwritten inscription and address on the reverse, was printed in Prussia as part of the Victoria Stamp Market (VSM) 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 south west facade of the Exhibition Building, with garden beds and lawn in the foreground tinted dark green. There is a white border below the photograph. The card is tinted in green, yellow and blue. On the reverse of the card there is a handwritten inscription and address. In the upper right hand corner there a one penny Victorian postage stamp.
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
Victoria Stamp Market, Melbourne, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 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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Addressed To
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Place & Date Used
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Inscriptions
Obverse, text: EXHIBITION BUILDING, MELBOURNE. Reverse, text: POST CARD; THIS SPACE MAY BE USED FOR CORRESPONDENCE.; (FOR ADDRESS ONLY).; V.S.M. SERIES. Reverse, handwritten: Arrived safely. All/ well. Very nice here./ Hope you are well/ & happy &/ your mother/ also Write a/ letter soon. Regards.; Miss Owen/ c/o J. Webb Esq/ Woolsery/ Union St/ N Brighton Reverse, postmarked: HEALESVILLE/ FE 15/ 0(?)/ VICTORIA
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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), 85 mm (Height)
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References
See Cook, David. 'Picture Postcards in Australia 1898-1920' pp 154- 155 for info re VSM.
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Keywords
Buildings, Civic Mementoes, Correspondence, Exterior Views, Postcards, Royal Exhibition Building, Souvenirs
