The Bayeux Tapestry by Karen Smith

Who hasn’t heard about the Bayeux Tapestry? It is a 70-meter-long story of William the Conqueror’s conquest of England? The tapestry, which is technically an embroidery and not a tapestry, features 600 characters, 500 animals of all kinds, 200 horses. 50 trees – and so much more. It illustrates the conquest of England in 1066 by William of Normandy.  It was probably commissioned by William’s half brother Bishop Odo.  According to Wikipedia it depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England, concerning William, Duke of Normandy and Harold, Earl of Wessex and King of England. The Tapestry culminates in the Battle of Hastings.  It is thought to date to the 11th century, within a few years after the battle. It tells the story from the point of view of the conquering Normans but is now agreed to have been made in England.

Well, if you’ve never seen it in person, you
can see it on-line at https://
www.bayeuxmuseum.com/en/the-bayeux-
tapestry/discover-the-bayeux-tapestry/
explore-online/.  It is rather spectacular.
The site also has lots of information about how the tapestry survived throughout the centuries, what happened to it during WWII, and how it’s been refurbished and put on exhibit.

According to the website: For the first time, you will be able to freely explore the entire Bayeux Tapestry with a never seen quality of images! This project has been led by the City of Bayeux and the DRAC Normandie (Ministry of Culture) with the assistance of the “Fabrique de patrimoines en Normandie” who photographed the embroidery. The high-resolution images were then reconstituted by the University of Caen and the CNRS. This panorama is the reference image of the S.D.I.S tool (Spatialized Documentary Information System), produced to assist scientific research on the work, and to give access to a rich documentation to the public.
Check it out.
Karen Smith