1. These books were Charles Blanc, Les artistes de mon temps and Eugène Fromentin, Les maîtres d’autrefois. Van Rappard had sent them after his visit to Nuenen; see letter 448.

2. A reference to letter 454. See for Blanc's Grammaire des arts du dessin: letter 454, n. 17.

3. The visit was to Margot Begemann and the doctor who was treating her, so there was not much ‘happening to go’ about the trip to Utrecht. Margot’s brother Louis was probably one of the party, since he was aware of the facts.

4. This painting of a fish market by Van Rappard is not known.

5. Van Rappard stayed on Terschelling until the end of September. See letter 460.

6. In letter 441 Van Gogh, on behalf of his parents, had invited Van Rappard to visit Nuenen; this visit took place at the end of October.

7. These were letters 448 and 454.

8. Planting potatoes (F 41 / JH 513 ).

9. Van Gogh painted over the picture of the ploughman – it is under Cottage with tumbledown barn and a stooping woman (F 1669 / JH 825 ). See letter 453, n. 10. He made a new version, with a woman picking up the potatoes behind the ploughman: Ploughman and a woman planting potatoes (F 172 / JH 514 ), see letter 466, n. 1.

10. This painted sketch of a wheat harvest is not known.

11. This painted sketch of a sower is not known.

12. Shepherd with flock of sheep (F 42 / JH 517 ).

13. Wood gatherers in the snow (F 43 / JH 516 ). It appears here that the original motif of an ox-cart in the snow (cf. F 1144 / JH 511 ) was altered.

14. This increase in the number of figures is evident from Van Gogh’s original design for Planting potatoes (F 1141 / JH 510 ) compared with the final work Planting potatoes (F 41 / JH 513 ). See also letter 453, n. 13.