Bruce Guthrie Photos Home Page: [Click here] to go to Bruce Guthrie Photos home page.
Recognize anyone? If you recognize specific folks (or other stuff) and I haven't labeled them, please identify them for the world. Click the little pencil icon underneath the file name (just above the picture). Spammers need not apply.
Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.
Accessing as Spider: The system has identified your IP as being a spider. IP Address: 3.86.235.207 -- Domain: Amazon Technologies
I love well-behaved spiders! They are, in fact, how most people find my site. Unfortunately, my network has a limited bandwidth and pictures take up bandwidth. Spiders ask for lots and lots of pages and chew up lots and lots of bandwidth which slows things down considerably for regular folk. To counter this, you'll see all the text on the page but the images are being suppressed. Also, some system options like merges are being blocked for you.
Note: Permission is NOT granted for spiders, robots, etc to use the site for AI-generation purposes. I'm sure you're thrilled by your ability to make revenue from my work but there's nothing in that for my human users or for me.
If you are in fact human, please email me at guthrie.bruce@gmail.com and I can check if your designation was made in error. Given your number of hits, that's unlikely but what the hell.
Help? The Medium (Email) links are for screen viewing and emailing. You'll want bigger sizes for printing. [Click here for additional help]
Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
SIPGBU_210327_01.JPG: The Chinese Hackberry Tree
Witnessing a Century of Change
This tree has seen many changes. Planted around 1905 on the grounds of what was then the U.S. Patent Office Building, it has slowly grown as the city has developed and transformed around it.
A rare, large, local specimen of a Chinese hackberry (Celtis sinensis), it has witnessed the relocation of Chinatown from its original site on Pennsylvania Avenue; rioting, looting, and burning during the 1968 riots; the opening of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum; the rise of Chinatown as a major entertainment and sports destination; and many other momentous events in the history of our nation's capital.
About the Chinese Hackberry
The Chinese hackberry (Celtis sinensis) is native to China, Korea, and Japan, where it is often found on forested slopes. It is a member of the hemp family (Cannabaceae), along with marijuana and hops.
About Smithsonian Gardens
Smithsonian Gardens is a vital and vibrant part of the Smithsonian Institution and an American Alliance of Museums–accredited museum. Our gardens are outdoor gallery spaces that extend the Smithsonian's museum experience in a public garden setting.
A Living Collection
This tree is one of nearly 2,000 specimens that form the Smithsonian Gardens Tree Collection, located throughout Smithsonian museum grounds and gardens.
"One of the prettiest shade trees in Japan, suitable for avenues or private gardens, parks, etc. . . . It should be tried in the Southwest as a shade tree."
-- David Fairchild, Agricultural Explorer, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1903
Washington, D.C. in 1905
* Teddy Roosevelt was president.
* D.C. had a population of around 300,000 people (compared to around 700,000 people in 2019).
* Automobiles had only been on the streets for a few years.
* Much of the city was still lit by gas lamps.
* Many commuters got around by streetcar.
ca. 1910
The U.S. Patent Office Building, built in 1836, was one of the first federal buildings in Washington, D.C. The Chinese hackberry is pictured on the left.
ca. 1920
The building served as the U.S. Patent Office until 1932. The Chinese hackberry is pictured at center.
ca. 1971
The Smithsonian acquired the former Patent Office Building in 1962. After extensive interior renovation, the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum opened to the public in 1968. The Chinese hackberry is pictured at center.
Today
At more than 115 years old, the Chinese hackberry remains healthy and strong, with a trunk diameter of nearly four feet. Who knows what it will witness in years to come?
Left: Looking west down F Street from the Patent Office Building, circa 1909, showing gas lamps and streetcars.
SIPGBU_210514_08.JPG: On-site docents were still not available and staff provided visitor assistance from their homes.
SIPGBU_210514_10.JPG: Open Wed. - Sun.
11:30am - 7:00pm
Free
Closed December 25
Most museums weren't replacing their permanent "Museum hours" signs -- they were just using sandwich boards to announce their current schedule. But the Donald Reynolds Center had replaced their sign.
SIPGBU_210723_04.JPG: This entrance is temporarily closed. Please enter at 8th and G Streets.
Open Wednesday through Sunday
11:30am - 7pm
SIPGBU_210723_12.JPG: Staffing the information desk during COVID was sometimes problematic.
SIPGBU_210728_04.JPG: Remote assistance is provided.
SIPGBU_210728_15.JPG: Wear a face covering if you are not fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
[The Smithsonian stopped requiring masks for fully vaccinated people on June 28. It reversed course due to CDC guidance in the light of the delta variant on July 30.]
SIPGBU_210820_03.JPG: In-person staffing of the information booth. She said she was a paid Smithsonian employee but worked for the Air and Space Museum, not the Donald Reynolds Center.
SIPGBU_210820_06.JPG: The public storage lockers have been closed since the pandemic started.
SIPGBU_210820_09.JPG: No paper fliers because of COVID-19.
SIPGBU_210829_01.JPG: Open Wed. - Sun.
11:30am - 7:00pm
Free
Closed December 25
AAA "Gem": AAA considers this location to be a "must see" point of interest. To see pictures of other areas that AAA considers to be Gems, click here.
Bigger photos? To save server space, the full-sized versions of these images have either not been loaded to the server or have been removed from the server. (Only some pages are loaded with full-sized images and those usually get removed after three months.)
I still have them though. If you want me to email them to you, please send an email to guthrie.bruce@gmail.com
and I can email them to you, or, depending on the number of images, just repost the page again will the full-sized images.
Connection Not Secure messages? Those warnings you get from your browser about this site not having secure connections worry some people. This means this site does not have SSL installed (the link is http:, not https:). That's bad if you're entering credit card numbers, passwords, or other personal information. But this site doesn't collect any personal information so SSL is not necessary. Life's good!