1. Ten months later, on 24 January 1885, the doctor finally presented his bill, but the leg was still not fully healed. Mr van Gogh told Theo: ‘Did we already write and tell you that we have had the bill from Dr v.d. Loo and paid 171.50 guilders? Dr de Bruin’s was 25 guilders and so one can get one’s leg set for 200 guilders. Now we are waiting for the bill from the Pharmacist, which was not yet ready. But how thankful we are that we did not lose dear Mother and that she can walk again, although she still has to get a lot better’ (FR b2266).

2. This must have been shortly after writing letter 430, in which he said he had made the pen-and-ink drawings of weavers.

3. A file is used to sharpen the teeth (of a saw); Van Gogh relates this saying to his own teeth, combining it at the same time with a Dutch expression ‘zijn tanden stukbijten op iets’ (literally, breaking one’s teeth on something; figuratively, banging one’s head against a brick wall).

4. See for this consignment sent in the summer of 1881: letters 172 ff.

5. After ‘work’ / ‘brengen’ Van Gogh crossed out the unfinished sentence: ‘Perhaps that’s not being very nice to you, but what else can I do because it can be foreseen that’ (‘Tegenover U is dat misschien niet heel mooi maar hoe kan ik anders omdat het te voorzien is dat’).

6. Possibly The old church tower at Nuenen with a ploughman (F 34 / JH 459

), see letter 431, n. 1.

7. We cannot say for sure which painting of a weaver Van Gogh is referring to here.

8. See for the panels and watercolours he had sent: letter 429.

a. Means: ‘slap’ (insipid).

9. The relationship between Theo and Marie was coming to an end.

10. Van Gogh is quoting here fairly freely from the end of chapter 7 of Alphonse Daudet’s recently published book L’Evangéliste – Roman parisien (The Evangelist – a Parisian novel) (1883), which is about two women who are assiduous in promoting the Protestant faith, and about the husband of one of them, whose marriage has gone sour. After the man, irritated, has left the room, the visitor asks her hostess: ‘“What’s the matter with him?” asked Anne de Beuil. Jeanne said with a shrug: “The same as ever…” She added: “You’ll tell Jégu to put another bolt on my bedroom door… The one that’s there doesn’t hold any more.

– Last night’s storm, no doubt, said Anne de Beuil… the whole house shook.”

And they looked at each other with their closed, cold faces.’

(“Qu’est-ce qu’il a?” demanda Anne de Beuil. Jeanne haussa les épaules: “Toujours la même chose...” Elle ajouta: “Tu diras à Jégu de remettre un verrou à ma chambre... Celui qui y est ne tient plus.

– L’orage de cette nuit, sans doute, dit Anne de Beuil... toute la maison sautait.”

Et elles se regardaient avec leurs faces fermées et froides.) See Daudet 1986-1994, vol. 3, p. 299. Originally Van Gogh noted immediately after ‘women’: ‘Et elles se regardèrent de leurs visages froides et fermées’, but he crossed this line out.

11. We do not know which work this is. The description ‘study’ and Van Gogh’s comment that he would like to have his studies put in a black frame (l. 144) indicate that it was a painting. See also l. 127.

12. Farm with stacks of peat (F 22 / JH 421

).

13. Van Gogh got the carpenter and general builder Theodorus de Vries to make simple frames and stretching frames for him. From De Vries’s account book it appears that he had already made a stretching frame and a frame for Van Gogh, on 9 and 21 February 1884, for 15 and 50 cents respectively. See De Brouwer 1984, pp. 26-27, 100-101, and cat. Amsterdam 1997, pp. 18-19. This order was probably for Congregation leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen (F 25 / JH 521

).

b. Means: ‘kalms’ (calm).

14. In letters 413 and 422 Vincent announced that from March onwards he wanted to regard the allowance Theo sent him as ‘earned money’.

15. French proverb; also the title of a play by Alfred de Musset, Il faut qu’une porte soit ouverte ou fermée (1845). In letter 413 Van Gogh had already written: ‘A door must be open or shut’ (‘Een deur moet open zijn of digt’).

16. Van Gogh had been very preoccupied with religious questions from his Paris period (1875) until the end of his time in the Borinage (1880).

17. The journey to the station in Roosendaal took place in late July-early August 1881: see letter 170.

18. While he was in Drenthe Vincent repeatedly urged Theo to become a painter: see letters 393 ff.

c. Read: ‘Beter dan, in plaats van’ (rather than, instead of).

19. Theo had urged Vincent to break with Sien.

d. Means: ‘helemaal’ (completely).

20. French saying, ‘manger de la vache enragée’, which means to suffer hardship.

21. See for this expression: letter 234, n. 4.