a. Yellow soap, a common soap made of linseed, rapeseed and other vegetable oils. It is a soft soap, and is also used to soften the skin to aid in the removal of a wood splinter.

1. Because Van Gogh says in letter 322 that a ‘nice saying’ is ‘There’s something diabolical about watercolour’, there is a good chance that this is a quotation.

2. This watercolour of a girl grinding coffee is not known.

3. This watercolour of a woman knitting is not known, but it is assumed to be the watercolour Woman at the window, knitting (F 910a / JH 90), which measures 33 x 26 cm. Although the motif is the same, the position of the knitting woman and the composition (with the chair) differ from the letter sketch (cf. Hulsker 1993-1, p. 35, and see letter 205).

4. The Hague had various soup kitchens where the poor could get food: the so-called ’s-Gravenhaagsche Volksgaarkeukens at Torenstraat 19 and Stationsweg 26, and several private charitable institutions. Van Gogh is probably referring here to one of the municipal institutions (cat. Amsterdam 1996, p. 211, and Adresboeken 1882-1883).

5. The third-class waiting room in the Rijnspoor railway station, near Schenkweg in The Hague. See exhib. cat. The Hague 1990, p. 41. An example of a drawing made there is Waiting room (F 909 / JH 94).

6. This ‘mother with a little child’ was most likely Clasina Maria Hoornik, called ‘Christien’ or ‘Sien’, and her four-year-old daughter Maria Wilhelmina Hoornik; cf. letter 207, n. 2 and letter 228: ‘at the end of January I met Christien’.

7. An expression meaning ‘to make use of opportune moments’ (translated in this letter as ‘whenever possible’), though in the context of this letter it could have been intended literally: in between the showers.

8. In the summer of 1881 Van Gogh usually drew on large sheets, varying in size from c. 30-50 cm x c. 50-60 cm.

9. The watercolour matching this description is Meadows beside Schenkweg (F 910 / JH 99 ).