1. Van Gogh borrowed this title from Hubert von Herkomer’s series ‘Heads of the people’: see letter 235, n. 37. He made numerous heads during this period; it is therefore impossible to establish precisely which one he means here.

2. See for the scratches that might possibly have been sent: letter 475, n. 1.

3. This relates to the beginning of the Hague period in early 1882.

4. See for Charles Degroux, Saying grace: letter 143, n. 16.

By Le pélèrinage (The pilgrimage) Van Gogh most probably means the large canvas De bedevaart van Sint-Guido te Anderlecht (The pilgrimage to Saint-Guidon in Anderlecht), c. 1856-1857 (Brussels, Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts). Ill. 140

. The Museum acquired this as early as 1870, whereas the two versions of the Bedevaart naar Diegem (Pilgrimage to Diegem) did not enter public collections until 1904 (the Musée de Beaux-Arts, Doornik) and 1937 (the Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten in Antwerp). See exhib. cat. Ypres 1995, pp. 110-114, cat. nos. 123, 126, 130.

See for The paupers’ pew : letter 148, n. 12.

In his final remark Van Gogh is referring to the characteristic types that are depicted in these works.

5. Victor Hugo, Notre-Dame de Paris (1831).

6. Van Gogh arrived in Nuenen on 5 December 1883 (letter 409).