From cotton canvas to duck canvas to heavy-duty canvas, the most complete selection lives online at Mood, but the history of canvas fabric began in Ancient Rome. During the early 8th Century, canvas fabric debuted as multi-strand canvas and was popular for its colorfastness, abrasion resistance, and durability. By the 15th Century, canvas fabric entered the art world as the world’s first painting was executed on thick, wear-resistant canvas. It was the early 16th Century that gave us our first glimpse of one of today's most popular canvas-made items; the canvas tote bag. Since the beginning of the 21st Century, from stretch canvas to poly blends, the world has seen more canvas fabric iterations than ever.