I found out the most fascinating story of a publishing company with the help of my friend Paul Ernetz!

Whenever I watch my nice EMBR cards from Riga in Latvia, I was asking myself what the abbreviation EMBR could mean? No one was able to answer that question, nothing could be found on the internet.

Clever people meant it is Extended Master Boot Record or ElectroMagnetic BReak (laugh!) but that has nothing to do with a publishing company of that time. When I talked to Paul again, he could answer that question finally and told me some very fantastic facts.

EMBR means EMilie Benjamin Riga

Emilie was the wife of a very rich and powerful newspaper tycoon in Riga. Financially independant, she could do what she wanted. Because she loved movies, she founded a publishing company. Besides she was a big Garbo fan. That's why she published more than 50 wonderful postcards honoring the divine.

Mrs. Benjamin was also well known for big parties she gave in her villa. One night there was a big circle of city notabilities. Among them a fortune teller. He did his job and predicted personal prophecies to the guests who had to pay for it. When he asked Mrs. Benjamin herself if she also wants to get to know something about her own future, she agreed but refused to pay for it.

When the man finally spoke he was quite excited and embarrassed. He stuttered and didn't want to tell her anything first. But Mrs. Benjamin insisted. And then she got to know that she will die under very tragical circumstances on a bench...

Emilie exerted influence on the political situation. She sympathized with the Red Army and had her special connections. But unfortunately that didn't help her. Lateron she was carried off to Siberia.

And she died tragically there in a cold Siberian night on a bench...

And - isn't that a story? Knowing that I see my EMBR cards from just another angle.

Although Latvia is a very small country, it had its tradition regarding postcards and film passion. EMBR was not the only Latvian publishing company which produced postcards, there had been to other companies as well.

After my research there are 52 different EMBR cards, all in the light version  (just a single one without number portraying Greta and Nils Asther came out in sepia brown). All cards are in longish version. The individual card numbers can be seen on the front side next to the EMBR logo.

Card no. 3792 came out in colorized form, a wonderful Ninotchka motive, one of the nicest colorized cards ever made.

A few cards are still missing. So if you can help to complete our list by scanning some of the the outstanding ones, please be so kind as to do so. If you should have more informations about that company, write an email, would be great. Thank you.

Mrs. Emilie Benjamin has been forgotten. But her remarkable Greta Garbo postcards are still available throughout the world...