Understand
Newcastle schoolboys' 1850s copy of the Bayeux Tapestry restored and put on display
Overview
An 1850s hand-drawn copy of the Bayeux Tapestry, created by schoolboys at Percy Street Academy in Newcastle, has been restored and placed on display at the Great North Museum. Commissioned by teacher John Collingwood Bruce, the replica is slightly larger than the original and censors several explicit figures in line with Victorian conventions.
Key points
- A replica of the Bayeux Tapestry drawn in the early 1850s has been restored and put on display at the Great North Museum in Newcastle.
- The copy was created by schoolboys at Percy Street Academy and commissioned by their teacher, John Collingwood Bruce.
- The artifact is 5 metres longer than the original 70-metre-long tapestry.
- Donated to the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle in 1884, the replica was rediscovered in the early 1990s and subsequently held in storage.
- The Victorian-era copy follows conventions of the time by censoring up to 94 phallic depictions present in the original artwork.