What Ross Verlag meant for Germany, Iris Verlag meant for Austria. Iris was a very popular and well known publishing company in Vienna specialized in artist postcards in the 20ies and 30ies.
Unfortunately there isn't any information obtainable on the internet or any books, magazines, newspapers etc. either giving some information about that Austrian company.
All details I am going to name now do exist from my own experiences as Garbo postcard collector. That's why my article doesn't get very long compared to that one regarding Ross Verlag in Berlin.
The big difference between Ross and Iris in relation to those Garbo cards is the fact that Iris was just producing one special postcard format (14 x 9 cm). Iris didn't publish any scene cards in a series like Ross did or any luxury cards, art sheets or miniature cards.
All together Iris produced 59 different Garbo cards.
The primary cards came out in a sepia brown tone (the “dark ones”). A few years later, at the beginning of the thirties, the production of all following cards was handled in another quality which reminded more of a black/white motif (the “light ones”). Iris published their Garbo cards in vertical and in horizontal formats.
The first Garbo card which was published by Iris appeared at the end of the 20=ies and showed the young Swedish actress in a portrait study. The individual card number was 482/1 (that first issue was also distributed under no. 482).
The listing of the different card numbers is a little bit uncommon. You can see the numbers on the lower left card edge or the right one or even within the photograph itself on the left or right side. To complete the confusion completely, it has to be said that Iris placed the numbers even on the reverse sides of the cards, beginning from number 5954 till the end of the whole production. From that number on you can also see the addition “Amag” above “Iris” and the individual card number.
On the front side of the cards you can always read the name of the pictured persons (e.g. Greta Garbo plus the names of her partners) and the origin where the photograph does come from, mostly Metro Goldwyn Mayer. A copyright index is not given.
More specific characteristics of the postcards can be seen with the placement of our listing.
In always the same manner as Ross did, Iris produced some colorized cards as well. The handling was similar to Ross. Please, read more details directly under the appropriate Ross section.
From the 59 Garbo Iris cards I do posess 55. That's why we couldn't picture 4 motifs here. Up to now I couldn't find those missing cards despite all efforts. I do know for sure that the missing cards with numbers 6243 and 6371 have been published but I don't have any proof if the other two numbers 5261 and 6749 came out for sure.
HELP! If there are any postcard collectors knowing more about this inconsistency or who can even send scans of the missing ones , please, be so kind as to write an email. I would be very happy about reliable informations, also regarding Iris Verlag itself. Any help will be highly appreciated. Thank you very much for your assistance.
Enjoy the variety of Iris and the remembrance of the one and only Greta Garbo.
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