1. Catalogue illustré des oeuvres de Jean-François Raffaelli, exposées 28 bis, avenue de l’Opéra. Suivi d’une étude des mouvements de l’art moderne et du beau caractériste. Paris 1884. Facsimile printed in: Exhibitions of Impressionist Art ii. New York and London 1981. This exhibition ran from 15 March to 15 April 1884; Portier was responsible for organizing it. One of the categories was ‘Portraits-types de gens du bas peuple’ (Portrait heads of the lower classes). The catalogue contains five illustrations followed by Raffaëlli’s lengthy essay, titled ‘Etude des mouvements de l’art moderne et du beau caractériste’ in which he puts into words what makes up the essence of art for him (pp. 21-70). Theo handled several works by Raffaëlli from 1886 onwards.

2. One of the main themes of Raffaëlli’s essay is the concept of ‘character’; expressing this well in the work of art is the most important task of the modern artist; the concept is discussed in particular on pp. 21-30, 43, 66-68. The piece begins with a number of pithily formulated contentions: ‘Character is the essential beauty, in a positivist era. Characteristic beauty must at the same time be natural beauty, intellectual beauty and artistic beauty, finally leading to moral beauty. Characteristic beauty must be a means of judicial action in all manifestations of freedom.’ (Le caractère est le beau essentiel, à une époque positiviste. Le beau caractériste doit être en même temps le beau naturel, le beau intellectuel, et le beau artistique, menant comme fin au beau moral.– Le beau caractériste doit être un mode d’action judiciaire de toutes les manifestations de la liberté) (p. 21). Cf. also Schinman Fields 1979, pp. 60, 102-118.

3. See for Suffer the little children to come unto me by Uhde: letter 500, n. 25; Theo had sent a reproduction of it: see letter 510.

4. See for Raffaëlli’s The blacksmiths: letter 510, n. 18.

5. In this essay, Raffaëlli explores the concept of ‘conscience’ (specifically on pp. 43, 47-48, 69).

6. Van Gogh painted cottages there, as becomes clear in letter 513.

7. The sentence from which this quote is taken reads: ‘We need art with strength and vigour which addresses issues by reproduction and by considering new, poetic, critical, natural and scientific manifestations; whether damnable or praiseworthy.’ (Il nous faut un art de force vive s’adressant à l’idée par la reproduction et par l’attention portée à des spectacles nouveaux, poétiques, critiques, naturels, scientifiques; condamnables ou à louanger (p. 25).

8. Probably Woman digging (F 1255 / JH 826 ). From letter 515 it emerges that these are drawings.

9. A stooping woman picking up ears of corn occurs in several drawings of this period, so it is not possible to identify the specific drawing Van Gogh is referring to here.

10. Probably Woman stooping, with a spade (F 1691 / JH 835 ).