3 Curious Embroidered Tapestries

I have been fascinated by the Bayeux Tapestry ever since I first learned about it, not so much because of the story it tells, but by its sheer scale. The Bayeux Tapestry – which, like the others I’ve included in this post – is actually an embroidery, where the images have been hand sewn, not woven. The Bayeux Tapestry is 68 metres/224 feet long and it tells the story of William the Conqueror’s victory over King Harald in 1066 with hundreds of carefully stitched people, horses, and other images.

The Bayeux Tapestry has inspired other modern embroideries of similar scales. In Wales, the Last Invasion Embroidered Tapestry is 30 m/100 feet long and was created in 1993. Created by 77 local artists, it tells the story of France’s final attempt to invade England in 1797.

Closer to home and featuring more modern subject matter, Canadian artist Sandra Sawatsky created the Black Gold Tapestry to tell the story of fossil fuels and climate change. At 67 metres long, this embroidery rivals the Bayeux Tapestry in length and was created single-handed by the artist.