1. The south-east corner of Drenthe was an unspoilt peat moor. For the work Van Rappard did on his journey to Drenthe and Terschelling, see exhib. cat. Amsterdam 1974, pp. 83-85, cat. nos. 97-106.

2. This somewhat cryptic passage may be paraphrased as follows. Uncle Cor had given an advance on the drawings sent to him. If he sold enough for Vincent to be able to share in the profits, he would send the money to Theo. Vincent would like to receive this extra income, but he agrees to an arrangement evidently proposed by Theo for the repayment of the advance (which thus meant a reduction in income). He would also understand if (‘indeed’) Theo were to keep any money received from Uncle Cor for himself for some time because of his financial difficulties. Whether the advance – probably 100 francs – was sent all at once or in two parts is not known.

3. At that time an internal passport was obligatory because the authorities wanted to have closer supervision of vagrants and vagabonds. The passport referred to the birth certificate, confirmed residency in a municipality and contained the holder’s description and signature.