The State Capitol Austin Texas TX Fred Harvey Neoclassical Dome Postcard

✍️ Message on the Postcard

Back:
Printed message about THE TEXAS STATE CAPITOL:
“THE TEXAS STATE CAPITOL
is the largest Public Building in the U. S., except the Capitol at Washington, and is the seventh-largest in the world.
Construction was begun in 1882, corner stone laid March 2nd 1885.
Was dedicated May 16th 1888.
Built entirely of Red Granite from Quarries at Marble Falls, Burnet Co., Texas.
Depth, North to South, 188 feet 10 inches.
Depth, East to West, 566 feet 6 inches.
Extreme Height from grade level to top of Dome, 311 feet.
Building has 258 Rooms, 900 windows, 500 Doors.
Grounds cover 21 acres.
The State gave 3,000,000 acres of land, valued at 50 cents per acre.
It is conservatively estimated the building cost the State $6,000,000.”

🖼️ Information on the Front of the Postcard

Here’s the extracted information from the postcard front:

📝 In-Scene Text
Not visible

🏢 Publisher Information
Not visible

💬 Captions
THE STATE CAPITOL, AUSTIN, TEXAS.

📬 Information on the Back of the Postcard

📮 Address
Not visible

📅 Postmark & Stamp
Not visible
Postmark location unclear

🏛️ Publisher & Postal Note
**Publisher:** Fred Arvey (logo in bottom left), with series number A-435. A small “TC CHICAGO” logo is visible at the bottom of the vertical dividing line. The vertical text along the dividing line reads “AMERICAN ART”.
**Postal Note:** “PLACE STAMP HERE ONE CENT FOR UNITED STATES AND ISLAND POSSESSIONS, CUBA, CANADA AND MEXICO TWO CENTS FOR FOREIGN”
“THIS SPACE FOR ADDRESS ONLY.”

📌 Context
This postcard is unused, as indicated by the lack of a stamp, postmark, or handwritten address/message. The information on the card about the Texas State Capitol, dedicated in 1888, sets a lower bound for its publication date. The postage rates specified in the “PLACE STAMP HERE” box are crucial for dating: “One Cent for United States and Island Possessions, Cuba, Canada and Mexico” and “Two Cents for Foreign”. This specific rate structure for postcards was in effect in the U.S. during two main periods: October 3, 1917, to April 15, 1925, and again from 1928 until 1951. Given the general aesthetic of the postcard and the “American Art” series, it is most likely from the earlier part of the 20th century, probably from the late 1910s or early 1920s. Fred Arvey Co. was a Chicago-based postcard publisher and distributor active during this period. The “TC Chicago” mark might relate to Tichnor Bros. (a major Boston-based publisher known for their “American Art” series) either as a printer for Arvey or indicating a specific production line.

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