The finished work later toured the U.S., to great acclaim. Eventually it was sold to a local alderman, who subsequently became mayor of Reading and donated the tapestry to the local museum. When the museum was restored and expanded in 1993, the tapestry finally got its own custom-built display case and a routine cleaning and remounting.

There are several other reproductions in the U.K., including one in Hastings and one in Lyndhurst, in the New Forest, which I found to be particularly charming and beautifully worked in a variety of styles and emboidery. I also saw one in Plymouth that was being prepared as a gift to be sent to someplace in Maryland. Anyone could put a stitch into it for one pound. I was told that “everyone” had put in a stitch, including the Queen and Prince Philip!

Finally, travellers interested in such things should not miss the Overlord Tapestry at the D-Day Museum at Southsea, Portsmouth. This work, inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry, commemorates the landings in Normandy in June, 1944.

J. M. Ferguson
North Vancouver, British Columbia

ATTENTION ON SARGENT

A belated congratulations and thanks for the article on my favourite painter, John Singer Sargent, in your April/May issue. My wishes are all the more sincere for being late, as I have just returned from Boston where I was fortunate enough to visit the Sargent exhibition twice. Your article was the deciding factor in my making that trip. I have long admired Mr. Sargent and am so pleased that I finally have gotten to see so many pieces in person.

Tom Johnson,
Pasadena, California

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Letters should be addressed to: The Editors, BRITISH HERITAGE, 6405 Flank Drive, Harrisburg, PA 17112-2753 USA.

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