1. Van Gogh must have been asked to bid on Verzijl’s behalf at an auction in The Hague (see note 3).

2. On 30 April 1873 Willem van Stockum married Caroline van Haanebeek, who was related to the Van Gogh family. Vincent was in touch with the young couple at this time, and later corresponded with them from London. See letters 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20.

3. Van Gogh must have visited the auction of books and prints from the estates of A.K. Kemper and J. de Vos, which took place from 21 to 29 October 1872 at the premises of W.P. van Stockum in The Hague. There is a copy of the auction catalogue in the University of Amsterdam Library, call number OTM: KVB NV 2223:3.

Van Stockum was the celebrated book dealer, publisher, antiquarian bookseller and auctioneer of Buitenhof in The Hague and the founder of the booksellers and publishers W.P. van Stockum en Zoon, on whom see http://www.vanstockum.nl/book/.

4. Verzijl was retired and had been lodging for some time in Jagtlust, a country house in Helvoirt belonging to the De Jonge van Zwijnsbergen family of Zwijnsbergen Castle. It seems that he had been employed as a tutor by the family at the end of his career. In February 1875 Verzijl was one of the 22 guests at the 53rd birthday party of the Reverend Theodorus van Gogh, who was on a friendly footing with the well-to-do residents and dignitaries in the village (FR b2320). He died at Jagtlust in 1881.