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314 To Anthon van Rappard. The Hague, on or about Tuesday, 13 February 1883.

metadata
No. 314 (Brieven 1990 316, Complete Letters R26)
From: Vincent van Gogh
To: Anthon van Rappard
Date: The Hague, on or about Tuesday, 13 February 1883

Source status
Reproduction

Location
Unknown. The letter was auctioned on 10 June 1974 at Hôtel Drouot in Paris. See cat. Lettres et manuscrits autographes de peintres, no. 143.

Date
The letter was sent ‘8 days’ (or about a week) before letter 317; given that the latter dates from on or about Tuesday, 20 February (see Date there), the present letter must date from on or about Tuesday, 13 February 1883.

Ongoing topic
Van Gogh’s purchase of 21 volumes of The Graphic (302)

original text
 1r:1
Amice Rappard,
Gisteren zocht ik eens bij elkaar een & ander wat ik dubbel kreeg sedert ik U ’t laatst dubbelen stuurde.
Dit is echter nog geheel afgescheiden van de Graphic die ik voorloopig nog laat in den toestand waarin ik hem kreeg – ofschoon als ik tijd en opzet heb ik er sterk over denk de bladen op te zetten.
Ik denk dat gij de Regamey, Convicts outdoor work1 wel mooi zult vinden.
’t spijt me ik de andere bladen convicts van hem niet dubbel heb, die eene wandeling en een middagmaal voorstellen.2 Verbazend sober gedaan met haast nog meer karakter dan dit blad.
de Hopkins, Boatrace & weather3 vind ik wel b.v. aan Percy Macquoid doet denken.
wat is er een karakter in en een eigenaardigen dag toon.a
Begrijpt gij van wie The first warm day zijn kan?4 mooi hé.
de kleine Jules Ferats, prisons d’autrefois & d’aujourd’hui5 komen goed bij de kleine Renouards van Mazas.6
Mogten er bij zijn die ge reeds hebt zoo retourneer ze bij gelegenheid, natuurlijk is er geen haast bij.
Nu heb ik nog dubbel een groote Heilbuth, au bord de l’eau, een damesfiguurtje, zij zit op een brok boomstam en aan dit detail en den titel zult ge wel kunnen verifieeren of ge ’t blad reeds hebt.7 Ik stuurde ’t niet omdat ik haast zeker weet gij het hebt – toch twijfel ik en het is zeer mooi dus kijk het nog eens na. Dat blad van Dadd komt wel aardig bij de Green, signboardpainter.8
 1v:2
poor Irish scholar is weer van dien MF die Mertyr Tydvill Pawnoffice maakte.9 Hoe klein dat blad ook is, wat is het fameus mooi niet waar.
De twee kleine iersche schetsjes, Archs cottage en labourers home, weet ik niet van wie ze zijn maar vooral het laatste vind ik uitmuntend.10 Nu dit is zoo maar eens een allegaartje.
Good friday is geloof ik van Barnes.11 Ik bedenk me daar dat ik al sedert geruimen tijd een mooi portret van Corot voor U heb liggen, dat zal ik er ook meteen bijvoegen.12 Als ik tijd heb zit ik steeds in de Graphics te snuffelen, er zijn schatten in!
Ik schrijf in haast en zocht dezen bijeen terwijl ik het atelier opruim. Dat er iets bij zal zijn naar Uw zin hoop ik. adieu, met een handdruk.

t. à t.
Vincent

translation
 1r:1
My dear friend Rappard,
Yesterday I collected together a few things I’ve acquired in duplicate since I last sent duplicates to you.
This is entirely separate, however, from The Graphic, which I’m leaving in the condition I got it in for the time being — though when I have time and a plan I’m seriously considering mounting the prints.
I think you’ll find the Régamey Convicts outdoor work1 very fine.
I’m sorry I haven’t any duplicates of the other convicts prints by him, which show a walk and a midday meal.2 Done with astonishing austerity, with almost more character than this print.
The Hopkins, Boat race and weather3 recalls Percy Macquoid, say, I think.
What character it has, and what a distinctive daylight tone.
Do you know by whom The first warm day might be?4 Isn’t it beautiful?
The small Jules Ferats, Prisons of the past and today,5 go well with the small Renouards of Mazas.6
If there are some among them that you already have, return them at your convenience, there’s no hurry, of course.
Now I also have a large Heilbuth in duplicate, By the water’s edge, the figure of a lady, she’s sitting on part of a tree-trunk and you’ll be able to verify whether you already have this sheet from this detail and the title.7 I didn’t send it because I was almost certain you had it — but I’m not sure and it’s very beautiful, so have a look to check. That print by Dadd goes well with the Green, signboard painter.8  1v:2
Poor Irish scholar is again by that MF who made the Merthyr Tydvil Pawn Office.9 Small as that print may be, it’s strikingly beautiful, isn’t it?
I don’t know by whom the two small Irish sketches, Arch’s cottage and Labourer’s home, are, but I think that the latter in particular is outstanding.10 Well, this is just a mixed bunch.
Good Friday is by Barnes, I believe.11 I’ve just remembered that for some time I’ve been keeping a fine portrait of Corot for you; I’ll put it in with the others right away.12 Whenever I have time I browse through The Graphics — there are treasures in them!
I’m writing in haste, and collected these together while clearing up the studio. I hope there’ll be something you like. Adieu, with a handshake.

Ever yours,
Vincent
notes
1. For Félix Régamey, Prison life in Blackwell’s Island, New York – Outdoor work , see letter 302, n. 10.
2. For Félix Régamey’s Prison life on Blackwell’s Island – no. 1. Returning from work and for his Blackwell’s Island penitentiary, New York – Dining-room , see letter 302, n. 10.
3. Arthur Hopkins, The boat race and the weather: ‘Oh dear, what a disappointment’, engraved by Joseph Swain, in The Illustrated London News 60 (30 March 1872), p. 313. There is one copy in the estate. Ill. 954 (t*98).
a. Read: ‘een merkwaardige daglicht-toon’ (a typical tone of daylight).
4. George Louis Palmella Busson du Maurier, The first warm day, engraved by William James Palmer, in The Illustrated London News 60 (20 April 1872), p. 389. There is one copy in the estate. Ill. 1128 (t*277). Du Maurier’s monogram is reversed and upside down on the engraving, which no doubt explains why Van Gogh asks who the maker might be.
5. Jules Descartes Ferat, Les prisons d’autrefois (The prisons of the past) and Les prisons aujourd’hui (The prisons today) both divided into smaller prints, in L’Illustration 39 (4 February 1882), respectively p. 72 and p. 73. Ill. 832 and Ill. 833 .
6. For Renouard’s series The prisons of Paris (Mazas), see letter 261, n. 8.
7. Ferdinand Heilbuth, Au bord de l’eau (By the water’s edge), in Le Monde Illustré 26 (27 May 1882), p. 321. Ill. 927 . There was also an engraving in L’Illustration 79 (4 February 1882), pp. 76-77. When the painting was shown at the Salon in 1870, the Album Boetzel. Le Salon 1870 included a reproduction.
8. For Henry Towneley Green,“Restoring the sign” , see letter 232, 10. The work that Van Gogh compares with this could be Frank Dadd’s Holding the mirror up to nature, engraved by John Greenaway, in The Illustrated London News 77 (25 December 1880), p. 637. This is because of the similar poses of the painter and the scarecrow. Ill. 2066 (t*554). The composition of the group of people is such that Dadd’s Consulting the priest: a sketch at Claremorris, County Mayo is also a candidate, see letter 275, n. 53. Both prints are in the estate.
9. Michael FitzGerald, The poor Irish scholar, engraved by Frederick Wentworth, in The Illustrated London News 60 (27 January 1872), p. 93. There is one copy in the estate. Ill. 843 (t*555).
The second engraving is Michael FitzGerald, A pawn-office at Merthyr-Tydvil, in The Illustrated London News 66 (20 February 1875), p. 169. There is one copy in the estate. Ill. 842 (t*154). Attention has been drawn to the parallels with Van Gogh’s The poor and money (F 970 / JH 222 ) – and consequently with the third letter sketch in letter 270. See exhib. cat. London 1992, p. 138, cat. no. 86, and exhib. cat. Nottingham 1974, p. 51, cat. no. 15.
10. [Anonymous], The Warwickshire farm labourers’ strike, in The Illustrated London News 60 (13 April 1872), p. 352. The first engraving is entitled Arch’s cottage, Barford; the second A labourer’s home at Whitnash. There is a copy in the estate with both sheets. Ill. 500 (t*72).
11. Robert Barnes, Good Friday, in The Illustrated London News 60 (30 March 1872), p. 301. Ill. 539 .
12. Perhaps Van Gogh means the Corot by Achille Isidore Gilbert, which he also had. See letter 30, n. 6.