Notes

Context:
JLB 160, 11/1/1880: "Write to me again soon. Address 72 blvd du Midi. I'm staying in a small boarding-house for 50 francs a month and have my bread and a cup of coffee here, morning, afternoon and evening. That isn't very cheap but it's expensive everywhere here."

Context:
BVG 138, 11/1/1880: "So you see, I am going ahead with a will: these things are not so easy -- they take time and a great deal of patience besides."
JLB 160, 11/1/1880: "So you see that I'm pushing ahead with a vengeance, those things aren't so very easy, and require time and moreover quite a bit of patience."

Context:
JLB 159, 10/15/1880: "I went straight back to my work here, that's to say the 3rd part of the Bargues, and have a much more suitable room than the little study, in a small lodging-house in blvd du Midi."

Context:
JLB 162, January 1881: "I'm now busy drawing all Bargue's Exercices au fusain for the 3rd time."

Context:
JLB 160, 11/1/1880: "Drew The Diggers by Millet after a photo by [Adolphe] Braun that I found at Schmidt's and which he lent me with that of The Evening Angelus."

Context:
BVG 137, 10/15/1880: "Among others, I have made one of the head of Dante which looks somewhat like an etching. But it is not as easy as it seems."
JLB 159, 10/15/1880: "Among others, I've done one of the head of Dante, which is somewhat like an etching. But it's not as easy as it seems."

Context:
JLB 160, 11/1/1880: "And what I'm now going to do is complete the drawing of the muscles, i.e. that of the torso and legs, which will form the whole of the human body with what's already made."

Context:
BVG 138, 11/1/1880: "And what I am going to do now is finish drawing the muscles, that is, of the torso and the legs, which with the others will form the whole of the human body."
JLB 160, 11/1/1880: "And what I'm now going to do is complete the drawing of the muscles, i.e. that of the torso and legs, which will form the whole of the human body with what's already made."

Context:
JLB 160, 11/1/1880: "It's my plan to get hold of the anatomical illustrations of a horse, cow and sheep, for example, from the veterinary school, and to draw them in the same way as the anatomy of a person."

Context:
JLB 160, 11/1/1880: "It's my plan to get hold of the anatomical illustrations of a horse, cow and sheep, for example, from the veterinary school, and to draw them in the same way as the anatomy of a person."

Context:
JLB 160, 11/1/1880: "I had great pleasure lately in reading an extract from the work by Lavater and Gall. Physiognomie et phrénologie. Namely character as it is expressed in facial characteristics and the shape of the skull."

Context:
JLB 160, 11/1/1880: "I had great pleasure lately in reading an extract from the work by Lavater and Gall."

Context:
BVG 138, 11/1/1880: "The other day I read with great pleasure an extract from the work of Lavater and Gall, Physiognomy and Phrenology, namely, how character is expressed in the features and in the shape of the skull."
JLB 160, 11/1/1880: "I had great pleasure lately in reading an extract from the work by Lavater and Gall. Physiognomie et phrénologie. Namely character as it is expressed in facial characteristics and the shape of the skull."

Context:
BVG 141, 2/16/1881: "And if I should gradually succeed in earning something, that would not be unpleasant at all, though the principal thing is that I make progress and that my drawing becomes stronger -- then everything will come right sooner or later."
JLB 163, 2/16/1881: "And should I gradually begin to earn some money, that wouldn't be disagreeable at all, even though the main thing is that I progress and become better at drawing. Then much will fall into place later on, whether it takes a long time or not."

Context:
JLB 160, 11/1/1880: "Drew The Diggers by Millet after a photo by Braun that I found at Schmidt's and which he lent me with that of The evening angelus. I sent both those drawings to Pa so that he could see that I'm doing something."

Context:
BVG 138, 11/1/1880: "I sent both these drawings to Father so he might see I am working."
JLB 160, 11/1/1880: "I sent both those drawings to Pa so that he could see that I'm doing something."

Context:
JLB 160, 11/1/1880: "Drawing is a hard and difficult struggle."

Context:
JLB 161, December 1880-January 1881: "In general I believe that I've made progress, but it ought to be possible to get on faster than that."

Context:
JLB 163, 2/16/1881: "I also bought a pair of shoes for 4 francs."

Context:
JLB 163, 2/16/1881: "As I told you in a letter, I bought a pair of trousers and a jacket second-hand about a month ago."

Context:
BVG 141, 2/16/1881: "I must tell you that those clothes I bought are well cut and look better on me than any others that I can remember."
JLB 163, 2/16/1881: "I want you to know that those clothes I bought are well cut and look better on me than anything else I can remember."

Context:
BVG 141, 2/16/1881: "I tell you this because you might think they were something unusual or showy; this material is often worn in studios especially."
JLB 163, 2/16/1881: "I tell you this because you might think they were tawdry or out of the ordinary. This material is worn often, especially in the studios."

Context:
JLB 163, 2/16/1881: "And I also needed to supplement my underclothes with 3 pairs of underwear ..."

Context:
JLB 203, 1/26/1882: "When I was in Brussels last winter, I had baths as often as I could, 2 or 3 times a week in the bathhouse, and I felt very well and shall start doing it again here."

Context:
BVG 137, 10/15/1880: "There are several young men who are beginning to study drawing and are in the same position of not being rich either."
JLB 159, 10/15/1880: "There are several young people who are beginning the study of drawing and are in the same situation and aren't rich, either."

Context:
BVG 137, 10/15/1880: "So you see, this is my great desire -- that through Mr. Schmidt I may have some chance to make the acquaintance of some of the young artists here."
JLB 159, 10/15/1880: "And so that's what my great desire is -- that through Mr. Schmidt's good offices some door might be opened for me to meet some of the young artists here."

Context:
JLB 160, 11/1/1880: "I went to see Mr. Roelofs the day after I received your letter."

Context:
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "If by any chance you can recommend the painting of Madiol at the Salon, do so, for there's much that's beautiful in it, and the man is in a fix and has lots of small children."

Context:
JLB 163, 2/16/1881: "In Paris there are many draughtsmen who earn 10 or 15 francs a day, and in London and elsewhere just as much or even more, but one can't achieve this all at once and I am by no means that far, but it could well come to that if I'm a little blessed and come again into contact with people like Mr. Tersteeg and Theo and, more specifically, with good painters and draughtsmen."

Context:
JLB 160, 11/1/1880: "I think it possible -- if I only work hard, which I certainly do -- that either Uncle Cent or Uncle Cor will do something, if not as a concession to me at least as a concession to Pa."

Context:
JLB 160, 11/1/1880: "Also went to see Mr. Van Rappard, who now lives at rue Traversière 64, and have spoken to him."

Context:
JLB 160, 11/1/1880: "He has a fine appearance, ... he lives rather sumptuously."

Context:
BVG R51a, 5/24/1885: "As far as I can remember, the reason I did not see the news in the first place in the Nieuws van den Dag was my careless way of reading newspapers."
JLB 503, 5/24/1885: "If I remember rightly, my superficial manner of reading newspapers, where the advertisements always go by the board, was the only reason that I didn't learn the news from the Nieuws van den Dag first."

Context:
BVG 326, 9/21/1883: "He is a little less elegant and he is much less superficial as a man ..."
JLB 388, 9/21/1883: "He's a little less elegant and he's much less superficial as a person ..."

Context:
BVG R53, 6/15/1885-6/30/1885: "Now you are speaking to me and behaving to me exactly as a certain abominably arrogant Rappard studying at a certain academy did at one time."
JLB 516, 7/15/1885: " Now you speak to me and you behave towards me just like a former certain horribly priggish Rappard at a certain academy" (emphasis in original).

Context:
BVG 138, 11/1/1880: "But judging from the way he lives he must be quite wealthy, and I do not know whether he is the person with whom someone like me could live and work, for financial reasons. But I certainly shall go and see him again some time."
JLB 160, 11/1/1880: "But he lives rather sumptuously and, for financial reasons, I don't know whether he's the person with whom, for instance, I could live and work. But in any case I'll go and see him again."

Context:
JLB 605, 5/7/1888: "I often took walks with Rappard in the place you mention. ... [in] the suburb and the countryside beyond ..."

Context:
JLB 275, 10/24/1882-10/27/1882: "You, for your part, in Brussels for example, did me a favour when I was able to make use of your studio when I didn't yet have one."

Context:
JLB 159, 10/15/1880: "… it seemed to me that it was far more preferable in my particular case to work at some artist's. Especially since I've already done two series of Bargues and have the 3rd in hand."

Context:
JLB 159, 10/15/1880: "At our meeting Mr. Schmidt spoke to me about entering L'Ecole des Beaux-Arts here, but I told him frankly that it seemed to me that it was far more preferable in my particular case to work at some artist's. Especially since I've already done two series of Bargues and have the 3rd in hand, which I could perhaps complete with [Auguste] Allongé's charcoals. I don't, however, dismiss the idea of L'Ecole des Beaux-Arts, inasmuch as, for example, I could go there in the evening as long as I'm here, if it's free or not expensive."

Context:
JLB 160, 11/1/1880: "And he, and others too, seriously advised me definitely to go and work at a drawing academy, at least for a while, here or in Antwerp or anywhere I could, so I think I should in fact do something about getting admitted to that drawing academy, although I don't particularly like the idea."

Context:
BVG 138, 11/1/1880: "Here in Brussels the teaching is free of charge (in Amsterdam, for instance, I hear it costs 100 guilders a year) and one can work in a well-heated and well-lighted room, which is good, especially in winter."
JLB 160, 11/1/1880: "Tuition is free here in Brussels, I hear that in Amsterdam, for example, it costs 100 guilders a year, and one can work in an adequately heated and lighted room, which is worth thinking about, especially for the winter."

Context:
JLB 160, 11/1/1880: " Tuition is free here in Brussels, I hear that in Amsterdam, for example, it costs 100 guilders a year, and one can work in an adequately heated and lighted room, which is worth thinking about, especially for the winter" (emphasis in original).

Context:
BVG 138, 11/1/1880: "... but I cannot get on without some instruction, and I think if only I work hard, which I do, possibly Uncle Vincent or Uncle Cor will do something -- if not to help me, at least to help Father."
JLB 160, 11/1/1880: "... but I shan't succeed without any guidance, and I think it possible -- if I only work hard, which I certainly do -- that either Uncle Cent or Uncle Cor will do something, if not as a concession to me at least as a concession to Pa."

Context:
JLB 155, 6/22/1880-6/24/1880: "Because of that, you're not without melancholy, and you feel emptiness where there could be friendship and high and serious affections, and you feel a terrible discouragement gnawing at your psychic energy itself, and fate seems able to put a barrier against the instincts for affection, or a tide of revulsion that overcomes you."

Context:
JLB 159, 10/15/1880: "But my goal must, for the moment at least, remain to learn as quickly as possible to do presentable and saleable drawings, so that I'll begin to earn an income directly through my work."

Context:
BVG 137, 10/15/1880: "It would be quite natural if he perhaps looked at me with some suspicion, because formerly I was with Goupil & Co., left, and have now returned to the art field."
JLB 159, 10/15/1880: "[I]t's very natural that he perhaps regards me with some mistrust, due to the fact that I was previously with the firm of G&Cie., then moved, and am now returning again to matters of art."

Context:
JLB 160, 11/1/1880: "... if I only work hard ... either Uncle Cent or Uncle Cor will do something, if not as a concession to me at least as a concession to Pa."

Context:
BVG 141, 2/16/1881: "Only if I study drawing thus seriously and thoroughly, always trying to portray truly what I see, shall I arrive; and then, notwithstanding the inevitable expenses, I shall make a living by it."
JLB 163, 2/16/1881: "Only if I pursue drawing this thoroughly and seriously, always seeking to portray reality, shall I succeed, and then, despite the inevitable expenses, a living can be made out of it."

Context:
BVG 141, 2/16/1881: "For a good draughtsman can certainly find work nowadays: such persons are in great demand, and there are positions that are very well paid."
JLB 163, 2/16/1881: "Because a good draughtsman can certainly find work nowadays, and there's a great demand for such individuals and there are positions to be had that pay very well."

Context:
JLB 163, 2/16/1881: "In Paris there are many draughtsmen who earn 10 or 15 francs a day, and in London and elsewhere just as much or even more, but one can't achieve this all at once and I am by no means that far ..."

Context:
BVG 137, 10/15/1880: "I think pen drawing is a good preparation, in case one should later want to learn etching."
JLB 159, 10/15/1880: "I believe that drawing with the pen is a good preparation if later you might wish to learn etching."

Context:
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "Moreover, it would be very beneficial for me to have a thing or two about the anatomy of the horse and sheep, cow, not with an eye to veterinary medicine but rather with a view to drawing the aforementioned animals."

Context:
BVG 142, 4/2/1881: "In this way I am learning a handicraft, and though it certainly will not make me rich, I will at any rate earn my 100 fr. a month, which is the least one needs to live on, as soon as I become a better draftsman and get some regular work."
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "... in this way I'm learning a handicraft, and although I'll certainly not grow rich by it, at least I'll earn the 100 francs a month necessary to support myself once I'm surer of myself as a draughtsman and find steady work."

Context:
BVG 138, 11/1/1880: "Drawing materials, studies to copy -- for instance, for anatomy -- all cost money, and yet they are strictly necessary: only in this way shall I obtain a fair return, otherwise I could never succeed."
JLB 160, 11/1/1880: "Drawing materials and examples, for instance, for anatomy, it all costs money, and those are certainly essentials, and only in this way can it pay off later, otherwise I'll never succeed."

Context:
BVG 138, 11/1/1880: "Therefore I think I was right in acting as I did, and this winter I will try to lay in some capital of anatomy; I cannot put it off any longer -- in the end it would prove more expensive, for it would be loss of time."
JLB 160, 11/1/1880: "That's why I believe I'm steering a straight course by taking matters in hand in this way, and want to try and acquire a wealth of anatomy here this winter, it won't do to wait longer and would ultimately prove to be more expensive because it would be a waste of time."

Context:
BVG 142, 4/2/1881: "Your Millets have increased in number, and you will see that I did not keep your capital of wood engravings, etc., without their bringing interest."
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "Your Millets have been augmented with various others, and you'll see that your wealth of woodcuts &c. haven't had an unproductive stay with me."

However, we believe Chrispeels's account, coming almost fifty years after the events, conflates the dates as well as many of the details of these incidents. For instance, his description of Vincent arriving at the parade grounds ("He wore only the barest necessities, for he distributed everything, his meager wages and his clothes, among his little flock," [ibid.].) clearly has been influenced by the myths about Vincent in the Borinage (especially in regard to his wardrobe; it is doubtful Vincent would have been admitted to the military grounds if he had been dressed in such a manner). These myths were already generally familiar at the time, and no doubt had also transmitted to Chrispeels by the Geerling daughter, Joanna, whom Chrispeels married in 1887. (Joanna was probably the girl in the story who answered the door and screamed when she saw Vincent.) Another piece of evidence to support a late 1880, post-Borinage dating is the reference in Vincent's letter from January 1881: "I have a model almost every day, an old porter, or some working man, or some boy, who poses for me. Next Sunday perhaps one or two soldiers will sit for me." (JLB 162, January 1881). These potential soldier-models may have included Chrispeels or other soldiers that Vincent met on his parade-ground visit. Vincent had a lifelong fascination with soldiers.

Context:
JLB 161, December 1880-January 1881: "As long as I'm not further ahead I should avoid young artists who don't always think about what they're doing and saying. And yet I very much wish to find one who, knowing more than me, could help me to do better."

Context:
JLB 159, 10/15/1880: "My father wrote to me that for the time being I could expect to receive 60 francs a month through him."

Context:
JLB 160, 11/1/1880: "I'm staying in a small boarding-house for 50 francs a month ... That isn't very cheap but it's expensive everywhere here."

Context:
BVG 138, 11/1/1880: " You must not imagine that I live richly here, for my chief food is dry bread or some potatoes or chestnuts which people sell here on the street corners, but by having a somewhat better room and by occasionally taking a somewhat better meal in a restaurant whenever I can afford it, I shall get on very well."
JLB 160, 11/1/1880: " You mustn't think that I live in luxury here, for my food consists mainly of dry bread and some potatoes or chestnuts which people sell on the street corners, but I'll manage very well with a slightly better room and by eating a slightly better meal from time to time in a restaurant if that were possible."

Context:
JLB 163, 2/16/1881: "I was of course more or less provided for by the first one, but having two suits is actually better and they don't wear out so fast, because one can alternate between them."

Context:
BVG 142, 4/2/1881: "I bought two workmen's suits of rough black velvet, of that material known as veloutine. It looks well, and one can wear it everywhere besides, the suits will be of use to me later, because I shall want a great many workmen's clothes -- as I do already -- for my models, which of course I need like everybody else."
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "Namely bought two workmen's suits of coarse black velvet, of the material I think one calls velveteen. They look smart and one looks presentable in them; moreover, they'll come in handy later on, for I'll need a great many workman's clothes later, and even now already, for my models, whom I naturally need like anyone else."

Context:
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "I've collected a lot of woodcuts this winter. Your Millets have been augmented with various others, and you'll see that your wealth of woodcuts &c. haven't had an unproductive stay with me. I now have 24 woodcuts by or after Millet, counting The Labours of the Fields."

Context:
BVG 141, 2/16/1881: "For if I can more or less complete the collection, they will be of use to me, as it is quite possible that I shall work from wood engravings sometime. "
JLB 163, 2/16/1881: "For if I have that a bit more complete I may well profit by it, for it could very well be that one day I'll do work for wood engravings."

Context:
BVG 141, 2/16/1881: "For if I can more or less complete the collection, they will be of use to me, as it is quite possible that I shall work from wood engravings sometime. "
JLB 163, 2/16/1881: "For if I have that a bit more complete I may well profit by it, for it could very well be that one day I'll do work for wood engravings."

Context:
JLB 162, January 1881: "Always be sure of this. In the past few days there's been a change for the better. I've just finished at least a dozen drawings, or rather, pencil and pen croquis, which are, it seems to me, already a little better."

Context:
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "This winter I spent around 100 francs a month, I reckon, although in truth it was scarcely that much. And of that I spent a considerable amount on drawing materials."

Context:
BVG 141, 2/16/1881: "Do not worry about these expenses, however, and do not accuse me of extravagance, for really the contrary is rather my fault of character, and if I could spend more, I should get on quicker and make more progress."
JLB 163, 2/16/1881: "Don't be concerned about these expenses, though, and don't suspect me of recklessness, for in fact the opposite is sooner my failing, and if I could spend more I'd easily progress and make headway more quickly."

Context:
JLB 162, January 1881: "I have a model almost every day, an old delivery man or some labourer or lad whom I have pose."

Context:
JLB 162, January 1881: "[The drawings] depict, among others, a delivery man, a miner, man sweeping snow, a walk in the snow, old women, type of old man."

Context:
BVG 141, 2/16/1881: " Models are expensive, at least relatively expensive, and if I had money enough to have them often, I should be able to work much better."
JLB 163, 2/16/1881: " Models are expensive, relatively expensive at any rate, and if I could pay them and use them often I'd be able to work much better."

Context:
BVG 141, 2/16/1881: "For you should know that eventually I must have a small collection of workmen's clothes in which to dress the models for my drawings."
JLB 163, 2/16/1881: "You see, I'll gradually need a small collection of work-clothes with which to dress the models for my drawings."

Context:
BVG 142, 4/2/1881: "And also a few women's dresses, for instance, that of De Kempen [region in Brabant] and from the neighbourhood of Antwerp, along with the Brabant bonnet and, for instance, that of Blankenberg, or Scheveningen or Katwijk."
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "Likewise a couple of women's costumes, such as that of Kempen and the area of Antwerp with the Brabantian cap and that of Blankenberge, for example, or Scheveningen or Katwijk."

Context:
BVG 141, 2/16/1881: "Only if I study drawing thus seriously and thoroughly, always trying to portray truly what I see, shall I arrive; and then, notwithstanding the inevitable expenses, I shall make a living by it."
JLB 163, 2/16/1881: "Only if I pursue drawing this thoroughly and seriously, always seeking to portray reality, shall I succeed, and then, despite the inevitable expenses, a living can be made out of it."

Context:
JLB 163, 2/16/1881: "This is the only true way to succeed, by drawing from a model with the necessary costumes."

Context:
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "My bedroom is all too small and the light isn't good, and the people would object to my shutting out some of the light coming in through the window."

Context:
JLB 163, 2/16/1881: "I mentioned to my landlord that I might find it hard to manage this month, and it's all right with him if I pay him when it suits me, because by now he's known me long enough not to demand absolutely that I pay in advance, at least not a whole month in advance."

Context:
JLB 163, 2/16/1881: "And all of this can get well and truly underway only when I have some kind of studio somewhere permanent."

Context:
JLB 162, January 1881: "You mentioned to me a change in the composition of the staff at the firm of G&Cie, and of another change in your own position. I congratulate you on it."

Context:
JLB 160, 11/1/1880: "That Mr. Schmidt was entangled in a money matter which would involve the Van Gogh family and for which he, namely Mr. S., would be justly prosecuted, I knew not the slightest thing about all that when I went to see him."

Context:
JLB 161, December 1880-January 1881: "Since for so long, several months in fact, I've had no news from you, not even the smallest response to my last letter, perhaps it won't be an inappropriate moment to ask you for some sign of life."

Context:
JLB 159, 10/15/1880: "[Schmidt] received me warmly, but nevertheless, if you would say a word or two in my favour to recommend the matter to him [Vincent's request to find a position for him in an artist's studio], that would have more effect on him than I could produce."

Context:
JLB 161, December 1880-January 1881: "[S]everal months in fact, I've had no news from you ... you've never written, after a single letter that I received on my arrival here."

Context:
BVG 139, January 1881: " As I have not heard from you for so long -- meaning, not for several months -- nor even had the slightest answer to my last letter, perhaps it will not be out of place to ask you for some sign of life."
JLB 161, December 1880-January 1881: " Since for so long, several months in fact, I've had no news from you, not even the smallest response to my last letter, perhaps it won't be an inappropriate moment to ask you for some sign of life."

Context:
BVG 139, 1/1/1881: "I must say it seems rather strange and rather unaccountable that you have not written me since the one letter I received on my arrival here."
JLB 161, December 1880-January 1881: "I really must tell you, although I can appreciate your various activities, &c., that it seems at least a little strange to me and a little inexplicable that you've never written, after a single letter that I received on my arrival here."

Context:
BVG 139, January 1881: "If he is afraid of compromising himself in the eyes of Messrs. Goupil & Co. by keeping in touch with me -- is his position with those gentlemen so shaky and unstable that he is obliged to be so careful? Or is it that he is afraid I will ask him for money?"
JLB 161, December 1880-January 1881: "If he's afraid of compromising himself vis à vis those Messrs G&Cie by keeping in touch with me, is his position in regard to the aforementioned gents so unsteady and shaky that he would be obliged to be as chary of himself as that? ... Or is it because he's afraid that I would ask him for money? "

Context:
BVG 139, 1/1/1881: "But if this was the reason for your silence, you might at least have waited until I tried to squeeze something out of you, as the saying goes."
JLB 161, December 1880-January 1881: "But then, if that was the reason for your silence, you could at least have waited to be silent at the time when somebody tried to squeeze something out of you, as the saying goes."

Context:
BVG 140, January 1881: "You will quite forgive me when you know that I wrote my last letter in a moment of spleen. ... This being so, let us drop it."
JLB 162, January 1881: "You will entirely forgive me when you realize that I wrote you my last letter at a bad time. ... That being so, let's leave it there."

While there is no evidence of any systematic transfers of money from Theo to Dorus to Vincent prior to the spring of 1881, it seems likely that Theo sent his parents money whenever he could (as Vincent did), and that this "extra" income was used to pay extraordinary expenses, such as those related to Vincent. Thus, Dorus's letter of February can be seen as an "accounting" to Theo of how Theo's money has been spent. Vincent's letter is also confusing because it is impossible to believe that Vincent did not realize Theo had been supporting him (at least indirectly, via subsidies to their parents) for some time. We suspect the surprise implicit in this statement may be disingenuous. We believe (and the text assumes) that Vincent's many arguments to Theo about the level of subsidy he required -- all of them prior to his father's visit in March -- indicate that Vincent was aware of the ultimate source of some or all of the money he was receiving, and that, for the same reasons, he perceived Theo's financial "suggestions" during this period as unwelcome attempts to tighten the purse strings. Otherwise, what was the point of the dialogue?

Context:
BVG 142, 4/2/1881: "What you say is true, financial questions have either advanced or handicapped many people in the world."
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "You say, and rightly so, that financial matters have done a lot both to assist and to thwart people in the world."

Context:
JLB 163, 2/16/1881: "It won't surprise you if I tell you that I'm extraordinarily eager to know what Theo's proposal could possibly be."

Context:
BVG 142, 4/2/1881: "At least I quite agree with you that someone like Heyerdahl would be far preferable (as he seems to be such a versatile man) to many others who do not possess the ability to explain their method and to provide the necessary guidance and teaching."
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "At any rate, I whole-heartedly agree with you that someone like Heyerdahl, because he seems to be such a highly cultivated man, would be far preferable to some others who might not have the ability to explain their way of doing things to anyone else, or to give one the guidance and advice that's so necessary."

Context:
BVG 142, 4/2/1881: "You speak of Heyerdahl as one who takes great pains to seek 'proportions for drawing'; that is just what I need. Many a good painter has not the slightest, or hardly any, idea of what proportions for drawing are, or beautiful lines, or characteristic composition, and thought and poetry."
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "You speak of Heyerdahl as one who takes great pains to seek 'proportions for the purpose of design', that's precisely what I need. Many good painters have no idea, or almost no idea, what 'proportions for the purpose of design' are, or beautiful lines or distinctive compositions, and ideas and poetry."

Context:
BVG 142, 4/2/1881: "As to the expenses, I suppose they would amount to at least 100 fr. a month; to do with less is impossible: 'Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn.'"
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "As far as expenses go, I reckon them to be at least around 100 francs a month, less isn't possible, 'thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn.'"

Context:
BVG 142, 4/2/1881: "I noticed that people talked about the strange and unaccountable fact that I was so hard up, although I belonged to such and such a family."
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "I also spoke to Pa in this vein, I don't know whether it will be of any use, but I noticed that they were talking about how strange and inexplicable it was that I had to struggle so hard even though I belonged to such and such a family."

Context:
BVG 142, 4/2/1881: "For example, somebody like Roelofs doesn't know what to make of such a false position -- either there must be something wrong with me, or with the others; but what he is sure of is: anyhow there is something wrong somewhere. So he is overprudent and will have nothing to do with me just at the moment when I most need advice or help."
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "... it's because people like Roelofs, for example, don't know what to think of such an untoward position, whether there is something wrong with me or with the other side, but he sees that there is something wrong somewhere anyhow. Such a person is therefore too circumspect and will have nothing to do with me at present, just when it's most necessary for me to receive advice and help."

Context:
JLB 281, 11/7/1882: "I asked for different work from this there, and I just wanted to see, and above all to learn, something of lithography."

Context:
BVG 243, 11/6/1882-11/8/1882: "I am very sorry that I did not know this process before. When I was in Brussels, I tried to find employment with some lithographer, but was rebuffed everywhere."
JLB 281, 11/7/1882: "I'm so sorry that I didn't learn about this process earlier. When I was in Brussels I tried to be taken on by the lithographers there, but all of them sent me away."

Context:
BVG 191, 4/15/1882-4/30/1882: "Or I had better try to get copying work from Smeeton and Tilly, though the latter was not exactly in my neighbourhood, and besides, in Brussels several lithographers had refused me this; there was no work, business was slow, was the answer."
JLB 221, 4/26/1882: "Or do copying work for Smeeton and Tilly, which wasn't exactly near by, and I was turned down by various lithographers in Brussels: there wasn't any work, there was nothing doing, that's what they said" (emphasis in original).

Context:
BVG 142, 4/2/1881: "I want to prevent this affair from ever becoming the subject of gossip in the studios; therefore I think that it is necessary for good relations between myself and the family to be re-established ..."
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "I wish to prevent the matter being talked about sooner or later in the studios, and so, in my opinion, harmony must be restored between me and the family ..."

Context:
BVG 142, 4/2/1881: "For example, somebody like Roelofs doesn't know what to make of such a false position -- either there must be something wrong with me, or with the others; but what he is sure of is: anyhow there is something wrong somewhere."
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "[P]eople like Roelofs, for example, don't know what to think of such an untoward position, whether there is something wrong with me or with the other side, but he sees that there is something wrong somewhere anyhow."

Context:
BVG 142, 4/2/1881: "But in general, he who searches all kinds of places to find picturesque spots or figures -- holes and corners which another passes by -- is accused of many bad intentions and villainies which have never entered his head."
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "Peasants and townsfolk, however, generally impute [to an artist] very great wickedness and evil intentions never dreamt of by one who betakes himself to all manner of places, corners and holes that others prefer not to visit, in order to find picturesque places or figures."

Context:
BVG 142, 4/2/1881: "A peasant who sees me draw an old tree trunk, and sees me sitting there for an hour, thinks that I have gone mad and, of course, laughs at me."
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: ""A peasant who sees me drawing an old tree-trunk and sees me sitting there in front of it for an hour thinks I'm mad, and naturally laughs at me."

Context:
BVG 142, 4/2/1881: "And I blame no one for it, because relatively few people know why an artist acts as he does."
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "And I don't blame anyone for it, for relatively very few people know why a draughtsman does this or that."

Context:
BVG 142, 4/2/1881: "And if he did, it stands to reason that I most certainly would not scorn his help; and in that case he might smooth the way for me by means other than by giving me money, for instance, in the interval between now and my going to Paris."
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "And if he were to be convinced of it, then I'd certainly not spurn his help, that goes without saying, and then he would be able to smooth my way a little in an entirely different way than by giving me money, for instance, in the interval of time between now and going to Paris."

Context:
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "Now, Uncle Cor so often does things to help other draughtsmen, and would it now be so very unnatural for him to take an active interest in me as well, should the occasion arise?"

Context:
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "Could it be that in a family like ours, in which 2 Messrs van Gogh are very rich, and that in the art business, C.M. and our uncle at Princenhage, and in which you and I in the present generation have also chosen that line of work, albeit in different spheres, I say, notwithstanding these facts, could it be that I can't continue to count in one way or another on those 100 francs a month for the time that must necessarily elapse before I obtain regular employment as a draughtsman?"

Context:
BVG 142, 4/2/1881: "Uncle Cor so often helps other draftsmen -- would it be so unnatural now if someday, when I needed it, he showed me his good will?"
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "Uncle Cor so often does things to help other draughtsmen, and would it now be so very unnatural for him to take an active interest in me as well, should the occasion arise?"

Context:
BVG 142, 4/2/1881: "Now three years ago I quarreled with C.M. about quite a different question, but is that any reason for C.M. to remain my enemy forever?"
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "3 years ago I had words with Uncle Cor on an entirely different matter, but is that any reason for C.M. to bear me ill will for ever and ever?"

Context:
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "If I were to write immediately to C.M., or to go and see His Hon., there would be a chance that he wouldn't read my letter or would receive me all too brusquely ..."

Context:
BVG 142, 4/2/1881: "I was not hoping to get money from his Honor, as Mr. Tersteeg seemed to think, but only hoping that if he gained faith and confidence in my future after a talk with me, he might see me with new eyes."
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "It isn't my intention to obtain money from His Hon., as Mr. Tersteeg thought, unless it be the case that after talking to me he acquires faith and confidence in my future and starts to see me in an entirely different light."

Context:
JLB 163, 2/16/1881: "I'm extraordinarily eager to know ... something from Mr. Tersteeg. Because one way or another I must know anyway sometime in the month of March where I stand and how and where I'll be able to work during the spring and summer months."

Context:
BVG 191, 4/15/1882-4/30/1882: "When I wrote him [Tersteeg] from Brussels, 'Wouldn't it be possible for me to work in The Hague awhile and have some intercourse with painters?'"
JLB 221, 4/26/1882: "When I wrote to him [Tersteeg] from Brussels, 'wouldn't it be possible for me to work for a while in The Hague and mix with painters?'"

Context:
BVG 142, 4/2/1881: "But he seems to have misunderstood my intention, as he got the impression that I planned to live on the bounty of my uncles; this being his opinion, he wrote me a very discouraging letter, and said I had no right to do such a thing."
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "...but His Hon. seems not to have understood my meaning, because he took it to mean that I was planning to live out of C.M.'s pocket and, this being his interpretation, he wrote me a rather discouraging letter and said that I had no right to such a thing."

Context:
BVG 191, 4/15/1882-4/30/1882: "'Oh no, certainly not, you have lost your rights'; I had better give lessons in English and French; of one thing he was sure, I was no artist."
JLB 221, 4/26/1882: "[O]h no, surely not, you've lost your rights. I'd do better to go and teach English and French. Of this he was certain: I was no artist."

Context:
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "So when Rappard leaves here in May I'll have to move ..."

Context:
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "Heist (near Blankenberge, thus on the sea) or Kalmthout are very picturesque, there's subject matter in Etten as well, here too if necessary, although I'd move to Schaarbeek all the same."

Context:
BVG 142, 4/2/1881: "So when Rappard leaves in May, I shall have to move; I should like to work awhile in the country ..."
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: " So when Rappard leaves here in May I'll have to move, and in that case I'd very much like to work in the country for a while ..."

Context:
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "But preferably a place where there's a chance of coming into contact with other painters, and if possible of living and working together, because that's cheaper and better."

Context:
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "The cheapest thing, of course, would be for me to spend this summer in Etten."

Context:
BVG 142, 4/2/1881: "I think that it is necessary for good relations between myself and the family to be re-established, at any rate provisionally and outwardly, in expectation of their changing their minds about me."
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "I don't claim to have the right, but I wish to prevent the matter being talked about sooner or later in the studios, and so, in my opinion, harmony must be restored between me and the family, at least temporarily and in the eyes of the world, in expectation of their changing their minds about me."

Context:
BVG R3, 11/2/1881: "How must we be careful??? ... this I cannot define, but I am most decidedly of the opinion that in the case I mentioned, being careful is necessary, for from my own bitter experience, through my own sufferings and shame, I have become conscious of what I underlined just now."
JLB 178, 11/2/1881: "Now how should we take care??? ... I can't say exactly, but that it's necessary to take care in the aforementioned case, yes, I do think so, because through my own bitter experience, by learning the hard way, I've become aware of what I've underlined above."

Context:
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "The cheapest thing, of course, would be for me to spend this summer in Etten ... and I'd most likely run into C.M. there this summer, if he were to go there or to Princenhage. There's no real objection to it, as far as I know."

Context:
BVG 133, 7/1/1880: "The thing is far from amusing, not very exhilarating, and so one should take care to keep out of the way."
JLB 155, 6/22/1880-6/24/1880: "... it's scarcely entertaining, it's not cheerful, so it's a matter of making oneself scarce."

Context:
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "If you think this desirable, you can write to Pa about it, I'm willing to conform to what they want as regards clothing or anything else, and I'd most likely run into C.M. there this summer, if he were to go there or to Princenhage."

Context:
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "I'm willing to conform to what they want as regards clothing or anything else ..."

Context:
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "So when Rappard leaves here in May I'll have to move, preferably a place where there's a chance of coming into contact with other painters, and if possible of living and working together, because that's cheaper and better."

Context:
JLB 165, 4/12/1881: "Having heard from Pa that there's a chance you'll be coming to Etten this Sunday, and Pa having written to me that it would be good if I were there as well, I set out for there today."

Context:
JLB 166, 4/30/1881 or 5/1/1881: "The beach at twilight, stormy weather, sky with grey clouds with a ruddy glow from the sun, which had set. In the foreground a fisherman on a horse, a tall, singular, dark silhouette standing out against the white, foaming waves."

Context:
BVG 144, 4/30/1881: " I'm very glad indeed that it's been arranged for me to work here quietly for a while, I hope to make as many studies as I possibly can, for that's the seed from which later drawings will grow."
JLB 166, 4/30/1881 or 5/1/1881: " I am very glad things have been arranged so that I shall be able to work here quietly for a while. I hope to make as many studies as I can, for that is the seed which must later produce the drawings."

Context:
JLB 167, May 1881: "If it isn't raining, I go outdoors every day, usually on the heath."

Context:
JLB 167, May 1881: "So I've done, among other things, a hut on Het Heike and also that barn with a moss-covered roof in Roosendaalseweg, which here they call the Protestant barn."

Context:
JLB 167, May 1881: "Then [I did] the mill nearby [the barn], in the meadow opposite, ... And also one with woodcutters working in a wide open space where a large pine-wood has been cut down."

Context:
JLB 167, May 1881: "Then the mill nearby, in the meadow opposite, and the elm trees in the cemetery."

Van Heugten, p. 93: The surviving example is Donkey and Cart (F 1677 JH 52, October, 1881, charcoal, black chalk washed, heightened with white, 16.34 x 23.66 in., 41.5 x 60.1 cm., the Van Gogh Museum: Amsterdam). Although this is one of only a few works in Vincent's oeuvre that take animals as their subject, Vincent "had far greater ambitions to depict horses than could be guessed from all his drawings and paintings put together," according to Van Heugten (ibid.).

Context:
JLB 167, May 1881: "I'm also trying to draw the implements, such as a cart, plough, harrow, wheelbarrow &c. &c."

Context:
JLB 168, June 1881: "That manner of working was implicit in what I've been drawing lately, for they were subjects which required a lot of drawing, also drawing in perspective, namely several workshops here in the village, a smithy, a carpenter's shop and a clog-maker" (emphasis original).

Context:
JLB 170, 8/5/1881: "And if I let outdoor drawing rest for the moment, then when I come back to it in a short while I'll have a better eye for things than I used to."

Context:
JLB 166, 4/30/1881 or 5/1/1881: " Meanwhile I've started on the Millets, The Sower is finished and the 4 times of the day sketched. And now still to come are The Labours of the Field."

Context:
JLB 170, 8/5/1881: "And that's why I want to study Bargue's method once more (who works with broad lines and large masses and simple, delicate contours)."

Context:
BVG 144, 4/30/1881: " I hope to make as many studies as I can, for that is the seed which must later produce the drawings."
JLB 166, 4/30/1881 or 5/1/1881: "... I hope to make as many studies as I possibly can, for that's the seed from which later drawings will grow."

Context:
JLB 172, September 1881: "For there's also something to be earned in this day and age for someone who has learned to seize a figure and hold on to it until it stands firmly on the paper."

BVG 143, 4/12/1881. After sketching two such scenes ("The lamp-bearers" and "The bearers of the burden"), Vincent wrote Theo: "To finish them I must, one way or another, have the necessary models, and then I'm confident that something good will come of them, namely a couple of compositions that I can show to Smeeton Tilly or the people from L'Illustration a magazine in Paris] or suchlike" (JLB 165, 4/12/1881). According to JLB 165, n. 2: "The drawing The lampbearers is not known; the other drawing is The bearers of the burden [also known as Miners' Women Carrying Sacks, F 832, April, 1881, pencil, ink, watercolor, 18.7 x 24.8 in., 47.5 x 63 cm., the Kröller-Müller Museum: Otterlo, the Netherlands]."

Context:
JLB 165, 4/12/1881: "So I hope to meet you soon, which I look forward to with great eagerness, also because I sketched two drawings at Rappard's, 'The lamp-bearers' and 'The bearers of the burden', the further execution of which I wanted to discuss with you. To finish them I must, one way or another, have the necessary models, and then I'm confident that something good will come of them, namely a couple of compositions that I can show to Smeeton Tilly or the people from L'Illustration or suchlike."

Context:
JLB 172, September 1881: "Diggers, sowers, ploughers, men and women I must now draw constantly."

BVG 150, 9/1/1881. Standing: Man with Winnow (F 891 JH 24), Farmer Leaning on his Spade (F 861 JH 40); stooping/bending: Digger (F 860 JH 38), Digger (F 855 JH 43), Digger (F 866 JH 54); kneeling: Man Putting Potatoes in a Sack (F 152 JH 60), Boy Cutting Grass with a Sickle (F 851 JH 61), Kneeling Man, Planting (F 879 JH 62).

BVG 150, 9/1/1881: For example: Man with Broom, F 890 JH 45, October, 1881, black chalk, watercolor, heightened with white, 21.7 x 10.8 in., 55 x 27.5 cm., the Kröller-Müller Museum: Otterlo, the Netherlands.

Stokvis, p. 20. For example: Digger (F 859 JH 29), Digger (F 860 JH 38), Digger (F 855 JH 43), and Digger (F 866 JH 54).

Context:
JLB 172, September 1881: "Of course I have to pay the people who pose. Not very much, but because it's an everyday occurrence it will be one more expense."

Context:
JLB 170, 8/5/1881: "But what a business it is to get people to understand what posing is!"

Context:
BVG 148, 8/1/1881-8/15/1881: "Folks are desperately obstinate about it, and it is hard to make them yield on this point: they only want to pose in their Sunday best, with impossible folds in which neither knees, elbows, shoulder blades nor any other part of the body have left their characteristic dents or bumps."
JLB 170, 8/5/1881: "Peasants and townsfolk desperately cling to an idea they won't give up, namely that one shouldn't pose other than in one's Sunday suit with impossible folds in which neither knee nor elbow nor shoulder blades nor any other part of the body has made its characteristic dent or hump."

Context:
JLB 168, June 1881: "I put a sewing machine in that one. There are no spinning wheels nowadays, and that's a great pity for painters and draughtsmen. However, something has taken their place that is no less picturesque, and that is the sewing machine."

Context:
BVG 146, 6/1/1881: "Willemien has left now, and I am sorry; she poses very well -- I made a drawing of her and of another girl who stayed here."
JLB 168, June 1881: "Willemien has left and I'm sorry, she poses very well, I have a drawing of her and one of another girl who stayed here."

Context:
BVG 141, 2/16/1881: "Only if I study drawing thus seriously and thoroughly, always trying to portray truly what I see, shall I arrive; and then, notwithstanding the inevitable expenses, I shall make a living by it."
JLB 163, 2/16/1881: "Only if I pursue drawing this thoroughly and seriously, always seeking to portray reality, shall I succeed, and then, despite the inevitable expenses, a living can be made out of it."

Context:
JLB 163, 2/16/1881: "But a studio then becomes indispensable."

Context:
JLB 178, 11/2/1881: "I think so often of that reader you drew during the sermon delivered by the Rev. Dr Kam."

Context:
JLB 178, 11/2/1881: "I think so often of that reader you drew during the sermon delivered by the Rev. Dr Kam."

Context:
JLB 168, June 1881: "We also went to Princenhage together, but Uncle was in bed and is unwell again."

Context:
BVG R6, 11/23/1881: "And now I should like to have my friend Rappard as a fellow traveler -- it is not a matter of indifference to me to lose sight of him -- do you think I am wrong in this?"
JLB 190, 11/23/1881: "And now I'd really like to have my friend Rappard as my travelling companion -- it's not a matter of indifference to me to lose sight of him -- am I wrong about that?"

Context:
JLB 154, 8/11/1879-8/14/1879: "When one lives with others and is bound by a feeling of affection one is aware that one has a reason for being, that one might not be entirely worthless and superfluous but perhaps good for one thing or another, considering that we need one another and are making the same journey as travelling companions."

Context:
JLB 256, 8/13/1882: "[J]ust think of Het Heike, where we went together."

Context:
JLB 168, June 1881: "We went on a fair number of excursions together, several times to the heath at Seppe, among other places, and the so-called Passievaart, a huge marsh."

Context:
BVG 142, 4/2/1881: "His pen-and-ink drawings of landscape are very witty and charming, but in these, also, a little more passion, please."
JLB 164, 4/2/1881: "I find his landscape drawings in pen very witty and pleasing, in those too, though, gradually a bit more passion please!"

BVG 146, 6/1/1881. Vincent had first tried the reed pen in October, for figure drawings, but without much success, and used it primarily to highlight pencil sketches (JLB 159, 10/15/1880). After meeting Van Rappard, who used such a pen frequently and with some facility, Vincent's interest in the medium revived and it is used extensively in the surviving landscapes from 1881 (Landscape [F 874v JH 3], Marsh with Water Lilies [F 845 JH 7], Marsh, [F 846 JH 8], and Landscape with Trees [F 902a JH 10]), although Vincent still is insecure about using it without pencil sketching in advance (JLB 168, June 1881). It is possible that Vincent's longtime obsession with "Ingres" paper (a term he consistently misapplied to the kind of white laid paper that he preferred [see Van Heugten, p. 21]), which Vincent considered more suitable for pen drawing, also followed Van Rappard's lead (JLB 169, 7/15/1881-7/20/1881). Van Rappard was working on Ingres paper as early as 1879 (see Brouwer, Siesling, and Vis, p. 57, cat. no. 15). Subsequently, it appears that Vincent followed Van Rappard in the use of both watercolor and sepia, although he had done some timid experiments in the former previously.

Context:
JLB 168, June 1881: "Because up to now I've been drawing with pencil only, worked up or heightened with the pen, if necessary with a reed pen, which makes broader lines. That manner of working was implicit in what I've been drawing lately, for they were subjects which required a lot of drawing, also drawing in perspective."

Brouwer, Siesling, and Vis, p. 70: "Van Gogh refers in his letters to several works that van Rappard made on this occasion, including a hitherto unidentified painted study of the Passievaart and a series of sepia drawings. Among the latter was a drawing of the road to Leur with the old pollard willows which Vincent also took as subject more than once." (See JLB 173, October 1881; and JLB 174, 10/21/1881). The surviving examples of Vincent's drawings of the road to Leur (Road with Pollard Willows and Man with Broom [F 1678 JH 46], Small House on a Road with Pollard Willows [F 900 JH 47], Road with Pollard Willows [F 151 JH 48], Road with Pollard Willows [F R1 JH 50], Pollard Willow [F 995 JH 56], Road with Pollard Willows [F 152 JH 58]) all appear to date from the fall of 1881, not the summer. The sepia drawing of Van Rappard's that Vincent refers to in JLB 174 (10/21/1881) appears to be lost.

BVG 146, 6/1/1881: For Vincent, the surviving works are Landscape with Trees (F 902a JH 10) and perhaps Edge of a Wood (F 903 JH 12). For Van Rappard, the surviving works are Brouwer, Siesling, and Vis, cat. no. 59 (p. 71) and perhaps cat. no. 63 (p. 72).

Hulsker, Vincent and Theo, p. 100: Hulsker recognizes the singularity of Vincent's approach to this image and how it foreshadows some aspects of his mature landscape paintings: "Vincent's treatment of the water lilies and other plants in the foreground, drawn in great detail and with an impression of depth, is especially noteworthy. ... In many ways this drawing foreshadows the type of landscape that was frequent in Van Gogh's later years: the high horizon, long foreground, and detailed rendering of nearby elements. (His famous painting of an Arles meadow and big purple irises in the foreground, JH 1416 [View of Arles with Irises in the Foreground, F 409 JH 1416, June, 1888, oil on canvas, 21.3 x 25.6 in., 54 x 65 cm., the Van Gogh Museum: Amsterdam], is one of the best examples.)"

Garden with Arbor, F 902 JH 9, June, 1881, pencil, black chalk, pen, watercolor, 17.5 x 22.2 in., 44.5 x 56.5 cm., the Kröller-Müller Museum: Otterlo, the Netherlands.

Landscape near Seppe (Brouwer, Siesling, and Vis, cat. no. 57, p. 70).

Context:
JLB 170, 8/5/1881: "[O]nce you've tasted Balzac you'll prefer it to a great many other things. Remember Balzac's nickname, 'veterinary surgeon for incurable maladies.'"

Context:
JLB 170, 8/5/1881: "I'm glad that your letter of today holds out hope that it won't be so very long before you come back again. I am, of course, completely better again, though I did stay in bed the day after you left and have spoken to Dr. Van Genk, a thoroughly practical man, not because I thought this insignificant malaise to be worth the bother, but rather because in general, well or not well, I like to speak to a doctor from time to time to find out if everything is all right."

Context:
BVG 194, 5/4/1882-5/12/1882: "I asked Kee if she would risk marrying me."
JLB 225, 5/10/1882: "I asked Kee Vos if she would chance it with me."