1. The make-up of this consignment is difficult to reconstruct. In his previous letter Van Gogh wrote that he was planning to include a few cottages, a picture of the old tower and smaller figure studies. These works have not, however, been identified. Cf. letter 529, nn. 9 and 10.

2. There is a good chance that Woman lifting potatoes (F 1273 / JH 909) was part of the batch for Theo: the drawing is signed and Vincent wrote in the lower left corner: ‘arracheuse de pommes de terre’. These ‘figures in surroundings’ may also have included Man breaking up the soil (F 1325 / JH 903) and Woman stooping between wheat sheaves (F 1275a / JH 873); certainly Van Gogh made more of an effort with the backgrounds in them. Later in the letter he moreover refers to Woman shelling peas (F 1214 / JH 702 ). See cat. Amsterdam 1997, pp. 248-249, cat. no. 194.

3. Theo supported several members of the family financially, including his mother, his sister Willemien and his brother Cor.

4. The drawing Woman shelling peas (F 1214 / JH 702 ); it measures 39.0 x 26.7 cm.

5. In all probability Theo had brought Félix Bracquemond’s recently published Du dessin et de la couleur (On drawing and colour) (1885) with him when he came to Nuenen (cf. letter 526) – Vincent would like to keep it for a little while longer. The remarks links up with the statement that he had sent drawings to Paris. Bracquemond discusses the concepts of ‘warm’, ‘cool’ and ‘light’ in the chapter titled ‘Warmth – Cold. Relative aspects resulting from a light, a colour, a brightness’ (Chaleur – Froideur. Apparences relatives émanant d’une lumière, d’une couleur, d’une clarté) (see Bracquemond 1885, pp. 57-96). It is a textbook in which the artist Bracquemond explains numerous technical concepts.