Dogwood trees in bloom, Birmingham, AL, 1949

Subject: Forests & Trees
Card type: Linen
Date: c. 1949 (Chrome)

Back of Dogwood trees in bloom, Birmingham, AL, 1949, Mrs. B. J. Berg, IL, USA, c. 1949 linen postcard — Back

About this postcard

Flowering dogwood trees stand in a spring woodland, their white and pinkish bracts held in flat, horizontal tiers above green undergrowth and slender dark trunks. The caption names them simply as 'DOGWOOD IN BLOOM,' and a legend on the card retells the popular Christian story that the dogwood once grew as large as the oak, was chosen as the timber for the cross, and was afterward made slender and twisted, its blossoms marked with nail prints and a crown of thorns. Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) is a small understory tree native to eastern North America, known for blooming in April and May before its leaves fully open. The image itself carries no place name, so the specific woodland is unidentified.

Postcard Details

Message · English, in pen

6/18 Hello- We are having a very nice time. Weather is very pleasant. They tell me that in the spring the Dogwood is just beautiful down here. Nora

PublisherE. C. Kropp Co.

DOGWOOD IN BLOOM—X18 --- LEGEND OF THE DOGWOOD At the time of the crucifixion, the dogwood was the size of the oak and other forest trees. So firm and strong was the tree that it was chosen as the timber for the cross. To be used for such a purpose caused the tree great misery and distress. Jesus observed this, and in his gentle pity for all sorrow and suffering made the tree this promise. "Never again shall the dogwood grow large enough to be used as a cross. Henceforth it shall be slender, bent and twisted. Its blossoms shall be in the form of a cross with the prints of the nails in each petal. In the center of the flower will be the crown of thorns, and all who see it will remember that it was upon a dogwood tree I was crucified. Therefore this tree shall not be destroyed or mutilated, but cherished as a reminder of my death upon the cross." 8077N Natural Color Post Card Made in U.S.A. by E. C. Kropp Co., Milw., Wis. — (GHY) POST CARD

PostmarkedBIRMINGHAM, June 19, 1949, 20:30

Addressed to

Mrs. B. J. Berg

322 Peyton St Geneva, IL

Postcard record

Postmarked	June 19, 1949, 20:30, BIRMINGHAM
Publisher	E. C. Kropp Co.
Series	8077N
Condition	Good
Place addressed	Mrs. B. J. Berg, 322 Peyton St, Geneva, IL
Publisher	E. C. Kropp Co., Milwaukee, WI
Stamp	1c George Washington, green, issued 1938, perforated on all sides
Stamp	1c George Washington, green, perforated on all sides
Notes	Linen-textured stock with a light blue band across the top bearing the caption DOGWOOD IN BLOOM—X18; printed series number 8077N. Minor edge and corner wear. Postmark: BIRMINGHAM JUN 19 8:30 PM 1949 (circular cancel partly over the printed legend; machine wavy lines at right). Linen-era Kropp "Natural Color Post Card" with 1¢ green Washington stamp; divided back; light edge/corner wear.

Cite this card

Dogwood trees in bloom, Birmingham, AL, 1949, postcard, c. 1949. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/dogwood-trees-in-bloom-birmingham-al-1949. Accessed November 2, 2026.