2. Emile Souvestre, Un philosophe sous les toits. Journal d’un homme heureux. Paris 1850 (The philosopher in a garret. Diary of a happy man). The book has twelve chapters, each of which relates the events of one day of one month. The protagonist presents the reader with his observations concerning everyday human actions and suggests which virtues are most important in life. In his philosophy, a humble, simple, modest and submissive life ultimately leads to fulfilment.

3. E. Souvestre, Un philosophe sous les toits. New edition. Paris 1867, pp. 55-57 and pp. 8-9 (chapter 4, ‘Aimons-nous les uns les autres’ (Do we love one another?) and chapter 1, ‘Les étrennes de la mansarde’ (The garret’s Christmas gifts). Cf. Pabst, 1988, p. 66.

4. Based on the last two stanzas of H.W. Longfellow’s ‘Christmas bells’ from the book Flower-de-Luce. See Longfellow 1886-1891, vol. 3, pp. 132-133. In l. 80 Van Gogh wrote ‘In sorrow did I bow’ where the source text has ‘And in despair I bowed’, and in l. 82 he wrote ‘The world is strong’ where the source text has ‘For hate is strong’.

5. Possibly an allusion to Deut. 12:15 or rhy. ps. 34:11.

6. To lend Theo some support during his illness, first Mr van Gogh and later Mrs van Gogh went to visit him (FR b2782 and b2786, dated 7 and 23 October 1876).

7. Excerpt from Henri Conscience, Le conscrit (The conscript). Van Gogh left out several passages. A comparison with the French version in Scènes de la vie flamande (Scenes of Flemish life) by Henri Conscience, translated by Léon Wocquier, first series, new edition, Paris 1864, pp. 187-189 (cf. letter 89) reveals the following changes:

l. 106 mortel [ mortel, – la haine des hommes peut-être, –

l. 137 aimer, grandir [ aimer, haïr, grandir

It is remarkable that in the preceding quotation from Longfellow Van Gogh replaced the word ‘hate’ and in this quotation avoids the words ‘haine’ (hate) and ‘haïr’ (to hate).

9. This most likely refers to Thomas Wallis, son of the art dealer William Henry Wallis. When Van Gogh moved to London in May 1873, he became acquainted with them through his Uncle Vincent van Gogh: Uncle Vincent and his wife were staying with the Wallis family, who invited Vincent to dine with them around 18 May 1873 (FR b2630). Vincent could also have met Thomas Wallis at the end of 1873 when the latter visited a number of studios in The Hague, as emerges from letters written by H.W. Mesdag in December 1873. In the period 1861-1900, Goupil maintained close ties with Wallis & Son. See Stolwijk 1998, p. 216; cf. also Bailey 1990, p. 91.

10. Presumably George R. Reid; see letter 82, n. 7.

11. This person has not been identified, though the reference is probably to one J. Richardson, called in letter 277 ‘the traveller of the house of G&Co’. Cf. Bailey 1990, p. 91.

12. Père Lachaise, a famous cemetery in Paris.

13. Elbert Jan van Wisselingh had received his training at Goupil’s in The Hague (1864-1866) and in Paris (1866-1874). He and the art dealer Daniel Cottier were business partners in London in the years 1874-1882. Their gallery was at 8 Pall Mall. See Heijbroek and Wouthuysen 1999. The windows are located in St Andrew's Church in Owslebury, near Winchester. They were commissioned by William Carnegie, 8th Earl of Northesk, as a memorial to his wife and daughter, who both died before him. Both women are depicted as the Virgin Mary. In the family scrapbook of the earl’s descendants, Max Donnelly found photographs of the designs that Van Gogh had described. See Max Donnelly, ‘“Such a noble face”: Vincent van Gogh, Daniel Cottier and the Northesk memorials’, in Burlington Magazine 153 (2011), pp. 568-571. Ills. 3099-3102

14. Matt. 6:10, Matt. 26:42 and Luke 11:2.

15. Heb. 11:1. The quotation that Van Gogh saw in the original design was replaced with: ‘Fear not, only believe’. See Max Donnelly, ‘“Such a noble face”: Vincent van Gogh, Daniel Cottier and the Northesk memorials’, in Burlington Magazine 153 (2011), p. 571.

16. Goupil’s London branch, located at 25 Bedford Street (Strand); see letter 29, n. 3.

17. The ‘corporation of the city of London’, on the north bank of the Thames, comprises what used to be the ancient city.

18. Henry William Gladwell’s gallery was located at 20-21 Gracechurch Street.

19. The Congregational Church at Turnham Green, which was ‘a prefabricated “tin tabernacle” of a type commonly found’ in Chiswick High Road (c. 5 km from Isleworth), opened its doors in September 1875 (see Taylor 1964, p. 420, and cf. letter 95). Van Gogh sketched this church, which no longer exists, in letter 99.

20. This must refer to St John’s Church in Boston Park Road (opened in 1866), which was located about 1 km north of Van Gogh’s route along Brentford High Street.

21. Syon Park in Isleworth.

23. Ps. 107; Van Gogh omitted the following verses: 3, 8-13, 15, 17-19, 21-22, 23b, 31-40, 41b and 43.

24. Regarding the quotation of ‘L’Homme... mène’, see letter 35, n. 2.

25. Taken from Emile Souvestre, Les derniers Bretons (The last Bretons): ‘On connaît la vieille prière du matelot breton: Mon Dieu, protégez-moi, mon navire est si petit et votre mer si grande!’. Paris 1858, part 1, chapter 2, paragraph 2, p. 39 (One knows the old prayer of the Breton sailor: Dear God, protect me, my boat is so small and your sea is so great). For an English translation, cf. letters 96 and 120. Van Gogh also wrote these words in the second poetry album, along with other passages from Souvestre’s book, as well as in Annie Slade-Jones’s visitors’ book. See Pabst 1988, pp. 27, 67.

26. Taken from H.W. Longfellow, ‘The secret of the sea’, from the book The seaside and fireside:

‘“Wouldst thou,” – so the helmsman answered,

“Learn the secret of the sea?

Only those who brave its dangers

Comprehend its mystery!”’

See Longfellow 1886-1891, vol. 1, pp. 260-262.