1. Landscape with leaning trees (F 196 / JH 957 ).

2. Farm in Loosduinen near The Hague (F 16 / JH 391 ).

3. Van Gogh puts forward a similar view of the similarities between trees and figures in letter 175.

4. For the reference to ‘Le Paradou’ in Emile Zola’s La faute de l’abbé Mouret (1875), see letter 344, n. 1.

5. It is possible that Van Gogh wrote ‘kon’ (could) instead of ‘kan’ (can).

6. Van Gogh means that by painting he practises the use of colour, and that in this way at the same time he achieves the improvement in watercolour required in order to be admitted to the Hollandsche Teeken-maatschappij. For the latter, see letter 256, n. 8.

a. ‘snappen’: ‘grijpen’.

7. Van Gogh’s plan to seek work in England as an illustrator was mentioned earlier, cf. for example 358 and 361.

8. The letter to Mr van Gogh about wanting to marry Sien is the one Theo had also read; it was sent with letter 376.

9. Van Gogh was disappointed that in his reply to the earlier letter his father had hardly touched on what was most essential; see letter 379.

b. Means: ‘ruzie’ (quarrel).

10. For this broken promise, see letter 379.

c. Read: ‘te kort schoot, in gebreke bleef’ (fell short, was deficient).