1. Their younger brother, Cor.

2. Mr van Gogh was sympathetic to Theo’s request to be transferred away from The Hague, and immediately set about making arrangements. On 8 June he paid a visit to Uncle Vincent to discuss the possibilities and subsequently wrote to Theo: ‘I had the opportunity to explain everything at length. Uncle noted it all with interest. For the moment he thinks, as does Mr Tersteeg, that there are rather too many than too few employees abroad. But for all that he did not reject the idea, and will continue to think about what can be done. Do not therefore act hastily or rashly, I’ll take the subject up with Uncle again shortly’ (FR b2535). Their conversation was resumed on 16 June. Theo was advised to be patient; in Paris he could become only the youngest assistant, and: ‘Also because of what happened with Vincent, you must not now go to Paris, other places can be investigated. Don’t spoil things in the meantime by acting too hastily’ (FR b2537).

8. A motto of Apelles, originally quoted as ‘Nulla dies sine linea’. See Pliny, Naturalis historia, xxxv, 36, 84. In letter 162, Van Gogh says that he got the saying from Gavarni.

9. The small wood called the Muiderbos was located in the east of the city, between the Oosterbegraafplaats and the Muiderpoort; the Tropical Museum now stands on the site of the former cemetery. Cf. Groot and De Vries 1990, pp. 30-31.

10. Jacobus Cornelus Kroes, at that time sexton of the Oosterkerk, lived with his wife, Maria Delvendiep, at Grote Wittenburgerstraat 25, behind the church (SAAm, Adresboek 1876-1877 and G.D. Brom H.Gz., De Oosterkerk te Amsterdam. Amsterdam 1922, p. 32).

11. Alfred Rethel, Der Tod als Freund (Death as a friend), 1851, engraved by Richard Julius Jungtow (Amsterdam, Rijksprentenkabinet). Ill. 1830

.

12. Der Tod als Feind (Erwürger) (Death as an enemy (The strangler)), engraved by Gustav Richard Steinbrecher, 1847 (Amsterdam, Rijksprentenkabinet) – the caption reads ‘Erstes Auftreten der Cholera auf einem Maskenball in Paris 1831’ (the first appearance of cholera at a fancy-dress ball in Paris 1831). Ill. 1831

.

13. Dance of death comprises six sheets, which were published as Auch ein Todtentanz. Erfunden und gezeichnet von Alfred Rethel. With an explanatory text by Robert Reinick. 11th ed. Leipzig 1879. See ‘Zweites Blatt’ and ‘Sechstes Blatt’, both engraved by August Gaber. Ill. 1832

and Ill. 1833

.

14. On 10 June, Eliza Laurillard preached at 7 a.m. in the Noorderkerk.

15. Matt. 12:1, Mark 2:23 and Luke 6:1.

16. Matt. 13:3-9, Mark 4:3-20 and Luke 8:5-15.

17. Mark 4:27.

18. For J.J. van der Maaten, The funeral in the cornfield

, see letter 36, n. 2.

19. Laurillard was considered a truly eloquent speaker, and his sermons were simple (BLGNP and BWPGN: ‘He preached so that a child could understand him’ (p. 635)).

20. J.P. Stricker conducted the 10 a.m. service held at the Oosterkerk.

21. Rom. 2:29.

22. Her Majesty Queen Sophia died on 7 June.

23. Vincent had made a good impression on both his Aunt W.C.G. Stricker-Carbentus and Margreet. Mr van Gogh wrote to Theo about it: ‘Aunt and Margr. just arrived. They have much good to tell of Vincent. We have also had a good letter from him, he seems to do his work in good spirits and, whenever he can, observes much of the intimate life of the world’ (FR b2535, 11 June 1877).

24. The quotation by Van Gogh, a prose poem by Hugues Félicité Robert de Lamennais, appeared in Amschaspands et Darvands. Paris 1843, chapter 16, pp. 379-382. The book contains short prayers, stories and homilies that instil the reader with courage and spur him on to live life assertively. In the Oeuvres complètes titled ‘Bahman à Schahriver’ (chapter 53). Ed. Louis le Guillou. Geneva 1981, vol. 10, pp. 379-382. This text also appeared in Voix de prison. See Lamennais. Une voix de prison. Text of the 1851 edition. Ed. Yves le Hir. Paris 1954, pp. 73-75. There are also various editions in which Une voix de prison was published together with other work by Lamennais, such as Paroles d’un croyant, Le livre du peuple and De l’esclavage moderne. See Les paroles d’un croyant de Lamennais. Ed. Yves le Hir. Paris 1949.

Van Gogh copied Lamennais’s text almost literally, the difference being that in all of the editions consulted the past tense of the verbs is spelled in the old way (oi), whereas Van Gogh always used the modern spelling (ai). The style of writing ‘en songe’ as opposed to ‘un songe’, as well as ‘lui offrent’ instead of ‘leur offrent’ (l. 88 and l. 103), correspond to the Paris editions of 1866 and 1869 of Une voix de prison.

25. The last line was taken from Emile Souvestre, Les derniers Bretons; see letter 93, n. 25.

26. The general map ‘Situatie van s’Rijks werf te Amsterdam 1878’ shows no cupola, but rather several so-called ‘roof-coverings’ (SAAm).

27. Van Gogh is referring to Nieuwendam or Schellingwou, to the north-east across the River IJ.

28. The Rev. Reinier Posthumus Meijjes was married to Willemina Petronella van Maanen; they lived at Prinsengracht 1003.

29. Bertel Thorvaldsen, Winter (Old age), 1836 (Stuttgart, Württembergisches Landesmuseum). This was the fourth marble relief in the series The four seasons – Four ages. The Thorvaldsen Museum has a marble replica (Copenhagen, Thorvaldsens Museum). Ill. 1834

. Van Gogh probably knew this work from a print.

30. Nico Mager, who worked in Dordrecht for the same firm as Vincent, asked Theo in May to make an appointment in The Hague in connection with a vacancy at Goupil’s, for which position he wished to apply (FR b2529).

31. See for this quotation from the poem ‘Under the stars’ by Mulock Craik: letter 119, n. 15.

32. Regarding the Trippenhuis, see letter 4, n. 3. In June, apparently, a number of rooms were closed, including the one with Rembrandt’s Syndics (cf. letter 121).

33. Taken from Longfellow’s poem ‘Maidenhood’ from the volume Ballads and other poems. See Longfellow 1886-1891, vol. 1, p. 78.

34. The drawing The cave of Machpelah (F Juv. XXX / JH - ); cf. letter 116.

35. Possibly a depiction of what happened to the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 19:4-11; this drawing is not known.

36. The classicist Maurits Benjamin Mendes da Costa, who tutored Van Gogh in Latin and Greek, lived at Jonas Daniël Meijerplein 13 (on the third floor).

37. The area around Nieuwmarkt, Jodenbreestraat, Jonas Daniël Meijerplein and Waterlooplein was known as the Jewish quarter.