The moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of that wonderful mother of mine;
The birds never sing but a message they bring
Of that wonderful mother of mine. Walter Goodwin, music, and Clyde Hager, lyrics,
"That Wonderful Mother of Mine."
Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920 A proclamation on May 9, 1914 asking Americans to give a public expression of reverence to mothers through the celebration of Mother's Day. Carnations have come to represent the day following President William Mckinley's habit of always wearing a white carnation, his mother's favorite flower.
The American Memory collection is rich in materials that relate to the lives of mothers and their children. For example, see an image of a new mother, Frances Yokoyama, enjoying her newborn baby, Fukomoto, while being held in the Manzanar Relocation Center during World War II; read a letter from Jennie Bernstein to her son Leonard, or listen to a Portuguese fado, "Minha mai minha amada" ("O my mother, my beloved").
