Nat’l Portrait Gallery: British artists’ suppliers, 1650-1950 External link:

Tate Papers: The Materials Used by British Oil Painters in the Nineteenth Century External link

Excerpt: Driers from Coatings Materials and Surface Coatings By Arthur A. Tracton Download

The influence of lead ions on the drying of oils by Charles S. Tumosa and Marion F. Mecklenburg Download

External link: 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 [...]

A reference listing all volatile oils including solvents. Contains information about turpentine derived from many specific species. Download: *Volume 1 can be read online here: *Vol. 2 can be read online here:

Odorless Mineral Spirits (OMS) is a highly refined variety of Stoddard Solvent, a petroleum-derived hydrocarbon solvent used as a thinner and brush rinse for oil colors and some varnishes. Stoddard Solvent was originally developed as a dry cleaning fluid and has been used as an herbicide, in addition to its use as a paint thinner. [...]

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A catalog of paper and surveying supplies. Lots of good, detailed information about standard sizes and obsolete or now seldom-used materials. Download:

The Manufacture of Mineral and Lake Pigments, Dr. Josef Bersch, 1901 Though this highly technical volume on the chemical origins of manufactured pigments may be a bit dense for even hardcore “paint geeks”, this book is still interesting on a number of levels. The sheer detail of description leaves very little mystery about many of [...]