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 on the reverse, was printed as part of the Victoria Stamp Market (VSM) Series. The card depicts the Exhibition Building ornamented with what appear to be Christmas decorations.
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 Exhibition Building from the south west corner showing garden and lawn in the foreground. The postcard is decorated with glitter and there is a white border beneath the picture. On the reverse there is a handwritten message from a grandson to his grandmother and grandfather. The postcard is undated and the stamp has been removed. Above the message there are two sketched figures of a man and woman that have been hand drawn.
More Information
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Collection Names
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Collecting Areas
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Acquisition Information
Purchase
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Publisher
Victoria Stamp Market, 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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Inscriptions
Obverse, text: Exhibition Buildings, Melbourne Reverse, text: POST CARD; This space may be used for correspondence; For Address only; V. S. M. Series Reverse, handwritten: My dear G.P.G.M./ I hope you are all/ well I was dissa/ pointed at not/ coming down to/ you, & must wait till/ I am a big man/ & I will come down/ & bring the cows in/ & look after my poor old/ G.P. & G.M. from your loving/ xxxxxxxxx Grandson; G.P. & G.M.
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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
139 mm (Width), 88 mm (Height)
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Keywords
Buildings, Civic Mementoes, Correspondence, Exterior Views, Postcards, Royal Exhibition Building, Souvenirs
