Summary
This is a colour postcard of the Exhibition Building showing the southern facade with the lake in the foreground, circa 1909. The postcard was printed in Great Britain as part of the Valentine's Series made by Valentine & Sons. The card was sent from Edith Hammett to Miss Nicol, a dressmaker for Love & Lewis, Richmond, and is postmarked 17 March 1909.
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.
Physical Description
A colour tinted photograph of the southern facade of the Exhibition Building showing the lake in the foreground. The photograph is surrounded by a white border and has the title beneath it. The sky is tinted blue and yellow. On the reverse of the card there is a handwritten inscription and address in black ink. The message is dated 17 March 1909.
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
Valentine & Sons Publishing Co. Ltd., Glasgow, Scotland, Great Britain, by 1909
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Place & Date Depicted
Royal Exhibition Building (REB), Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, by 1909
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Organisation Named
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Place & Date Used
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Inscriptions
Obverse, text: EXHIBITION BUILDINGS. MELBOURNE Reverse, text: POST CARD; PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN; This space may be used for communication; The Address only to be written/ here; VALENTINE'S SERIES. Reverse, handwritten: 17/3/09/ Miss Nicol/ Dear Madam,/ Mother thinks/ that it would be/ better to have either/ a lighter or darker (trimming)/ grey than the material/ on my coat instead of/ green./ Yrs sincerely Edith Hammett; Miss Nicol/ Dressmaker/ Love & Lewis/ Church St/ Richmond.
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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), 90 mm (Height)
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References
See Cook, David. 'Picture Postcards in Australia 1898-1920'. pp153- 154 for info re Valentine & Sons.
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Keywords
Buildings, Civic Mementoes, Correspondence, Dressmaking, Exterior Views, Postcards, Royal Exhibition Building, Souvenirs
