A sample booklet composed of 57 samples of pre-primed canvases sold by the color merchant Binant in Paris at the end of the 19th century was studied in order to link commercial names used by manufacturers and artists with their material identity. The features of the canvases and grounds of some of these samples allow new insights into commercial production of these pre-primed canvases. The results of the examination of the Binant product samples are presented and compared with similar products provided by other merchants during the same period.