Summary
Colour postcard of the Exhibition Building showing the south west facade of the building in the background with gardens and an unmade path in the foreground, circa 1905. The postcard, which was made in Germany, has a handwritten inscription on the reverse. 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 and grounds viewed from south west with an unmade pathway in the foreground. The Hochgurtel fountain is marked by a cross on the front of the card. On the reverse of the card there is a handwritten inscription. There is no date or stamp.
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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Place & Date Made
Germany, 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 Building Melbourne. Reverse, text: POST CARD; Correspondence; Address only; Made in Germany Reverse, handwritten: The cross marks/ the Queen/ Victoria Monument. was has [sic] just/ been unveiled.
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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
137 mm (Width), 88 mm (Height)
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Keywords
Buildings, Civic Mementoes, Correspondence, Postcards, Royal Exhibition Building, Souvenirs
