1. Since a longer stay at the Flemish training college at Brussels had become impossible (see letter 148), Van Gogh left for the Borinage to seek a position as an evangelist. Around the beginning of December 1878 he went to live in Petit-Wasmes, a village in the south of Belgium. Mr van Gogh had meanwhile written to Theo about this on 15 December: ‘A week ago we received a rather good letter from Vincent. Good inasmuch as he has found good lodgings with a Protestant farming family at Pâturages. For 30 francs a month – so little because he instructs their children in the evenings. He has been received there with kindness by many people, and associating with those people appears to fulfil his expectations. Moreover, the Rev. Péron at Dour has promised his assistance. In mid-January there will be another meeting of the Committee, of which the Rev. Péron is secretary, and he will try to further Vincent’s interests. Meanwhile he spends his free time drawing large maps of Palestine which could be of use to schools and confirmation classes – and which he hopes to dispose of for money. I received one from him and ordered 4 more copies, for which I will give him 10 francs each.

So now we are relieved inasmuch as he has good accommodation for the present – and otherwise we’ll wait and see. Especially now that it’s so wintry, we’re glad that he has initially ended up there, and in that colliery country there will certainly be no lack of opportunity to warm oneself. Accordingly, he writes that in his room, too, he has a fire in the grate, and clothing, and simple but healthy fare’ (FR b2448). The above-mentioned ‘Rev. Péron’ is Pierre Péron, who worked for the Eglise protestante unie de Belgique from 1869 to 1882.

A new situation for Vincent had thus been arranged fairly quickly. On 5 December, Mr van Gogh had sent a frank letter of recommendation to Péron at Dour, in which he said that Vincent had refused to take money from him, not wanting him to bear the expense. (See Documentation, 5 December 1878). Evidently two more letters followed, addressed to Nicolaas de Jonge and Abraham van der Waeyen Pieterszen, because on 8 January 1879 Mr van Gogh confided to Theo: ‘I wrote again in his behalf to Brussels and Mechelen’ (FR b2455).

2. On the last day of the year Mr van Gogh wrote to Theo, making sure he had Vincent’s exact address and asking him to write soon to Vincent in Belgium (FR b2452).

a. Absolutely nothing, none whatsoever. Van Gogh uses this adverb ‘ganschelijk’ here for the first time (probably under the influence of Flemish).

3. The description suggests that Van Gogh has Dürer’s Ritter, Tod und Teufel

(Knight, Death and the Devil) in mind, of which he stressed the same aspect in letter 148.

4. This room, known in popular parlance as the ‘Salon du Bébé’ and ‘Le temple du Bébé’, was located at what is now rue du Bois 257-259 in Petit-Wasmes. See Eeckaut 1990, p. 173 and ‘Annexes’, pp. 23, 47.

b. Variant of ‘iewers’, which means ‘somewhere’. Otherwise used only in letter 152.

10. Johannes Bosboom, Lime-kiln by the quarry of Chaudfontaine (private collection) Ill. 607

. The watercolour, whose measurements – 32 x 52 cm – entitle it to be called ‘large’, was in the possession of C.M. van Gogh; Vincent and Theo doubtless saw the drawing at his house.

11. See letter 148 with regard to the brothers’ visit to the Brussels museum.

12. Although Van Gogh calls it an etching, he must be referring to the wood engraving of Goupil’s A young citizen of the year v

; see letter 145, n. 14.

c. The ‘patois’ means the dialect of the region.

13. The text conforms to the translation in David Martin, La Sainte Bible. Brussels 1860.

16. Matt. 23:8 and Matt. 23:10. ‘Xtus’ is the abbreviation of the name Christ, beginning with the first letter of the Greek word for Christ ( ).

23. The president of the Belgische Evangelisatie-Comité van de Bond van Kerken (Belgian Evangelization Committee of the Association of Churches) was Emile Rochedieu. This letter is no longer to be found in the archives of the Eglise protestante unie de Belgique.

On 1 February 1879, the Committee appointed Vincent to a position for a period of six months, as evidenced by the document ‘Signatures des Agentes nouveaux depuis 1870’. Ill. 1913

. From the minutes of the meeting of 14 January 1879, it emerges that Abraham van der Waeyen Pieterszen had reported that he ‘introduces the subject of Mr van Gogh, who would like to be employed in the Borinage’ (fait connaître M. Van Gogh, qui voudrait être occupé dans le Borinage) [p. 173]. The minutes go on to say: ‘The Chairman introduces the application for employment from Mr van Gogh, son of a minister from Holland, who has come to the Borinage with the aim of working there. From what Mr Pieterszen and Mr Péron say, it emerges that this devout young man, completely devoted to work, would make a good Bible reader and would do useful work in that capacity, in Wasmes and Warpignies. Mr Péron suggests employing him in this way, at the modest salary of 600 francs. There will be a trial period of 6 months’ (M. le Président fait connaître la demande d’emploi de Mr van Gogh, fils d’un pasteur de Hollande et venu dans le Borinage dans le but d’y travailler. Il résulte de ce que disent M.M. Pieterszen et Péron que ce jeune homme pieux, dévoué dur au travail, ferait un bon lecteur de la Bible et travaillerait utilement à ce titre, à Wasmes et à Warpignies. M. Péron propose de l’employer ainsi avec le sobre traitement de 600 francs. On fera un essai de 6 mois’) (Brussels, Eglise protestante unie de Belgique, Bureau du Synode).

The minutes of 15 April 1879 report the situation to date: ‘Attention is drawn to Mr Vincent and his work. The details, both regrettable and encouraging, that have been given persuade the committee to authorise the Hainaut sub-committee to extend Mr Vincent van Gogh’s trial period for three [months], if it sees fit .’ (L’attention est attirée sur M. Vincent et sur son oeuvre. Les détails à la fois regrettables et encourageants qui sont donnés déterminent le comité à autoriser le sous-comité du Hainaut à prolonger l’essai de M. Vincent van Gogh pendant trois [mois], s’il le juge bon’) [p. 177]. (Brussels, Archives of the Eglise protestante unie de Belgique). Cf. also Lutjeharms 1978, p. 105.

24. Mr van Gogh was also responsible for the Protestant community in the nearby hamlet of Hoeven.

25. Van Gogh was ‘warmly received the first week’ by the evangelist-colporteur Benjamin Vanderhaegen, who found him lodgings in the house of Jean Baptiste Denis (see letter 150). According to archival records, he lived at rue de la place St Pierre 12 in Pâturages; Mr van Gogh, who corresponded with Vanderhaegen, gave Theo the address as rue de l’église 39. Cf. FR b2452, 31 December 1878 and FR b2463, 27 February 1879 (quotation).