This beautiful vintage postcard shows the Cherry Blossom tree in Washington D.C with the Lincoln Memorial across the water.
The Japanese Cherry Blossom trees are a very beautiful and attractive sight in the spring of the year when they are in bloom. These trees are a gift from the Japanese Government to the United States Government, specifically from from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington. Mayor Ozaki made this generous donation in 1912 in an effort to enhance the growing friendship between the United States and Japan.
Each spring in Washington, D.C. there is a Cherry Blossom Festival during the two weeks that the trees are in bloom. The first such ceremony was in 1912 when the First Lady Helen Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted the first two of these trees on the north bank of the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park. In 1965, First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson, donated 3,800 more trees to the city of Washington to increase the beautiful affect of these trees on our nation’s capitol.
The first Cherry Blossom Festival was held in 1935 by civic groups, then taken over by the city of Washington after World War II to include the current practice of the Cherry Blossom Princess and U.S. Cherry Blossom Queen programs.
During the blooming period of the trees, the National Park Service conducts annual Cherry Tree walks and bike tours around the Tidal Basin. These programs, conducted by park rangers, present an historical and cultural look at the influence of the Japanese Flowering Cherry Blossom Trees in Washington.
As seen in this vintage postcard, the Cherry Blossom tree is quite beautiful and if you can imagine thousands in bloom at once – it is a spectacular site to see. This is a great time to visit Washington, the trees usually blooming in the March – April timeframe.