Constant changes in stress occur in stretched canvas due to changes in environmental conditions. Very small temperature variations cause disproportionately large changes in stress. A newly designed, self-adjusting, continuous-tension stretcher is described, which absorbs stress increases and imparts uniform stress over the entire surface of the painting. This stretcher in effect imitates the supension system of a cyclorama. See also AATA 17-1321, 18-1371, and 19-447.