During the 19th century, a plethora of inventions and new artists' materials, such as millboards, academy boards, canvas boards, and related paraphernalia, including paint tubes, brushes, and Japanned boxes, were designed for portability and ease of assembly. These new tools of the artist's craft provided American artists with the means and capability to do on-site oil sketches. (JAIC)

An oil painting on academy board of a landscape by Dutch painter H. Verhaaf. Signed by hand to the lower right corner, the painting depicts a single path running adjacent to a wooded landscape and a river. The painting is mounted in a stained wood frame with a wire present to verso for hanging purposes. (Everything But The House)

Academy boards were manufactured from pulp board and primed with a lead pigment in a light gray or white color. To solve problems with warping, they were sometimes primed equally on the back surface (Gurney Journey)