This set was obviously meant to extol not only the scenery of Latvia, but imply that road building progress has been made under the Soviet system. (Why else include pictures of overpasses?) With the occasional car or bus wending its way towards its destination, it's a bit like a Soviet version of that 60's TV commercial of the same era inviting us to "See the U.S.A. in your Chevrolet!"

Still, there is a feeling of green unspoiled countryside, the charm of neatly tree-lined roads (no mention it was Karlis Ulmanis' beautification project!), and a sense of portraying Latvia's scenery at its best. And always those magnificent blue skies and billowing white clouds.

The set is nearly intact, only 3 of the 16 cards are missing. They were originally a birthday gift from Mara, Silvija's mom's close friend going back to Latvian times.

The set was originally published by the Liesma publishing house, priced at 3 kapekas for a single card, or 51 kapekas (kopecks) for the entire set. Being that a loaf of bread was probably 1 or 2 kapekas at the time—and that the descriptions of the pictures are printed in Latvian, Russian, German, and English on each card—these were definitely meant for the tourist trade, fuzzy pictures, cheap paper and all.

Mara's inscription to Silvija's mom reads:

Sveiciens dzimsanas diena, no Maras
Greetings on your birthday, from Mara

Latvians traditionally inscribe a gift with a poem to commemorate the time and place in one's life: that of the giver, of the receiver, or both—and so, hope eternal under Soviet rule... Spring comes once more, not caring what went before, ignorant of all but its own bringing of new life. And it is good, for all that.