This article presents the results of studies on the history of the construction of wooden painters' stretchers and attempts to systematize them. The typology of stretchers presented is the result of a critical analysis of work done by R.D. Buck, J. Brackert, J. Galaszek, and A. Diakowska-Czarnota. Like Buck's 1972 typology, it divides stretchers into six types. Joints are divided into two groups: rigid and movable connections. The article is illustrated by drawings which are captioned with general descriptions of the places and dates of the stretchers' occurrence.