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Free to Use and Reuse: Cherry Blossoms

Each spring, festive celebrations welcome the arrival of cherry blossoms in Japan, while in Washington, DC, more than one and a half million people attend the National Cherry Blossom Festival. The Library has published a book about this annual tradition with original art works from the collections, Cherry Blossoms: Sakura Collections from the Library of Congress.

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  Cherry Blossoms around the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC. Photo by Carol M. Highsmith, 2006 or 2007

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  Jefferson Memorial with Cherry Blossoms, Washington, DC. Photo by Carol M. Highsmith, 2006 or 2007

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  Aerial view of Washington, DC, showing the FDR Memorial in the foreground at Cherry Blossom Festival time. Photo by Carol M. Highsmith, 2006 or 2007

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  Cherry trees along the Tidal Basin with Japanese Lantern placed in the park in 1954. Washington, DC. Photo by Carol M. Highsmith, 2006 or 2007

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  Japanese lantern on the Potomac River Tidal Basin during spring cherry blossom season, Washington, DC. Photo by Carol M. Highsmith, ca. 1990

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  Washington Monument, Washington, DC. Photo by Carol M. Highsmith, 2007

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  Washington Monument, Washington, D.C. Infrared photo by Carol M. Highsmith, 2007

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  Crowned Queen of Cherry Blossoms. Washington, DC, April 8. Photo by Harris & Ewing, 1937

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  Cameramen tree Cherry Blossom Queen. Washington, DC, March 28. Photo by Harris & Ewing, 1939

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  Taking pictures of the cherry blossoms, Washington, DC. Photo by Esther Bubley, 1943

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  [Japanese strollers at cherry blossoms, Washington, DC] Photo by Harris & Ewing, 1932

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  Nishiki brocade with cherry blossoms and wave designs. Drawing by unidentified artist, 1800s.

• Hasedera in Yamato Province. Color woodblock print by Hiroshige Utagawa, 1859

• View from Massaki of Suijin Shrine, Uchigawa Inlet, and Sekiya. Color woodblock print by Hiroshige Andō, 1857

• Third Lunar Month, Blossom Viewing at Asuka Hill. Color woodblock print by Shigemasa Katao, 1772-1776

• Yoshino Mountain in Yamato Province. Color woodblock print by Hiroshige Utagawa, 1859

• Mount Kanō in Kazusa Province. Color woodblock print by Hiroshige Andō, 1858

• ASomei Yoshino. Watercolor drawing by Kōkichi Tsunoi, 1921. The gift of trees to Washington in 1912 included 1,800 trees of this variety.

• Kwan-zan (Barrier Mountain) cherry blossom. Watercolor drawing by Kōkichi Tsunoi, 1921. Kwan-zan was one of only three varieties of cherry blossom trees to survive after frequent floods around the Tidal Basin in the 1930s.

• Ariake (Daybreak) cherry blossom. Watercolor drawing by Kōkichi Tsunoi, 1921. The gift of trees to Washington in 1912 included 100 trees of this variety.

• Shirayuki (White Snow) cherry blossom. Watercolor drawing by Kōkichi Tsunoi, 1921. The gift of trees to Washington in 1912 included 130 trees of this variety

• Fukurokuju (God of Longevity) cherry blossom. Watercolor drawing by Kōkichi Tsunoi, 1921. The gift of trees to Washington in 1912 included 50 trees of this variety

• [A young girl holding a doll remembers the revelry during a festival beneath blossoming cherry trees on the banks of a river]. Color woodcut print, 1850-1900

• Single cherry blossom at Ueno Park (Flower season at Tokyo). Postcard, 1900-1906

• [Hanging poems on a cherry tree]. Color woodblock print by Toyonobu Ishikawa, 1741, printed later