Parliament in Postcards
Painters and photographers loved to capture the beauty of Parliament's buildings in postcards, and New Zealanders (and visitors) sent these on to friends and family at home and overseas.
Postcards from the early twentieth century were colour tinted. They were produced in Germany so the printers had to guess the colours. Parliament's buildings appeared in a rainbow of colours as a result. Parliament has created its own postcards since the mid 1990s.
This view from the corner of Sydney Street and Molesworth Street in the early 1900s suggests that the older wooden buildings (left) and the General Assembly Library (right), were faced in brick. Hugh and Susan Price collection.
View from Molesworth Street main entrance. This postcard must have been produced just before the fire of 1907, for it bears the stamp added later, 'DESTROYED BY FIRE, December 11th, 1907’. It is perhaps the most realistic rendition indicating the difference between the older wooden buildings and the plaster faced library, but we cannot be certain of the exact colours used at that time. Hugh and Susan Price collection.
This view from the 1900s is from an unusual angle, being taken from a height above Molesworth Street looking down onto the grounds and circular carriage drive. The use of the light and colour is particularly striking. Hugh and Susan Price collection.
This view of the rear of the buildings from Sydney Street (with the Legislative Council Chamber prominent) was painted by an English artist in the early 1900s and conveys a romantic 'Westminster' feel, with Victorian men and women bustling along the street about their business. There was some poetic licence here: photographs of the time suggest that Sydney Street was considerably rougher than this. Hugh and Susan Price collection.
A modern postcard of the parliamentary precinct. Illustration by Nikki Slade Robinson, Parliamentary Service Collection.