Cherry Blossoms, Potomac Park, Washington, DC。. Postcard made in the USA in the late 1930s or early 1940s. It was in 1912 (the year the Titanic sank) when Viscountess Chinda, the wife of Japan's Ambassador to the U.S., gave 2,000 small cherry trees.

It was in 1912 (the year the Titanic sank) when Viscountess Chinda, the wife of Japan's Ambassador to the U.S., gave 2,000 small cherry trees to Mrs. Helen Taft, the wife of President Willian Taft. In a quiet ceremony, Mrs. Taft and Viscountess Chinda planted the first two cherry trees along the Tidal Basin in Potomac Park in Washington, DC. These two trees still exist today, marked by a special plaque. .

To read more about the interesting history of these cherry trees, see the National Park Service's Web site on the Washington Cherry Trees. You can read about how the original shipment of 2,000 cherry trees from Tokyo in 1910 had to be destroyed upon arrival in the US due to the infestation of harmful insects and diseases.