Museum photography

SIR – The art historian Bendor Grosvenor’s objection to museums that prohibit photography, discussed by Jane White (Letters, July 23), is in line with his objection to paying museums and other organisations for the use of their images in publications.

What he cannot accept is that museums are underfunded and desperately need any money they can make from their collections, which they are legally prohibited from deaccessioning. They can only sell the reproduction rights to these images, and this is not helped by Mr Grosvenor and his associates photographing them so they can be used freely in their commercial publications.

Perhaps Mr Grosvenor should set an example by giving away his illustrated publications. Viscountess Bridgeman

London W2