Born Cincinnati, Ohio First Lady 1909–1913
Helen “Nellie” Louise Herron Taft viewed the election of her husband William Howard Taft as a personal triumph. She later wrote that she felt a “secret elation” while riding with him in the 1909 inaugural parade, something no first lady had done before. However, her most important legacy might be the 3,020 Japanese cherry trees that she had planted on the grounds of the Capitol and along the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. Having become enamored with their blossoms while visiting Japan in 1900, she rightly believed they would add great beauty to the nation’s capital.
This enigmatic portrait of Taft, seated in the White House garden with the mansion in the distance, was painted by Swedish artist Bror Kronstrand during his 1910 tour of the United States. In her final act as first lady, Taft donated her inauguration gown to the Smithsonian Institution, marking the beginning of the First Ladies’ gown collection.
The White House