Parliament's culture and traditions

Page 3 – Parliament in postcards

Painters and photographers loved to capture the beauty of Parliament's buildings in postcards, and New Zealanders and visitors sent these to friends and family in New Zealand and overseas.

Postcards from the early 20th 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.

postcard of parliament buildings

Viewed from the corner of Sydney Street and Molesworth Street in the early 1900s

postcard of parliament buildings

The main entrance from Molesworth Street prior to the 1907 fire

postcard of parliament buildings

Viewed from above the main entrance in the early 1900s

postcard of parliament buildings

An artists impression of the rear of the buildings from Sydney Street in the early 1900s

postcard of parliament buildings

A modern postcard of the Parliamentary precinct

How to cite this page

'Parliament in postcards', URL: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/politics/history-of-parliament/postcards, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 17-Jul-2014