easel

thumb|An example of a tripod design easel with an inclining mechanism built in.|alt=Wooden easel standing in empty room. thumb|Brisbane Technical College Signwriting class, ca. 1900

An easel is an upright support used for displaying and/or fixing something resting upon it, at an angle of about 20° to the vertical. In particular, painters traditionally use an easel to support a painting while they work on it, normally standing up; easels are also sometimes used to display finished paintings and prints. Artists' easels are still typically made of wood, in functional designs that have changed little for centuries, or even millennia, though new materials and designs exist. Easels are typically made from wood, aluminum or steel.