Blossoms in Bloom

The National Cherry Blossom Festival begins this week in Washington, D.C.

This annual celebration commemorates the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees by Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington, D.C.—a symbol of national friendship between the United States and Japan.

On March 27, 1912, First Lady Helen Herron Taft, wife of president William Howard Taft, along with the wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted the first two cherry trees on the north bank of the tidal basin in West Potomac Park.

Thousands of tourists descend upon the Tidal Basin to enjoy the beautiful clouds of cherry blossoms during the two week festival.

When in full bloom, cherry blossoms almost look like snow, as depicted in this charming print, Blossom Time in Tokyo, by Helen Hyde.

Pictured: Helen Hyde, 1868–1919, Blossom Time in Tokyo, 1914, color etching on paper, 7 x 5 7/8 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Hyde Gillette in memory of Mabel Hyde Gillette and Edwin Fraser Gillette.