From: Vincent van Gogh
To: Theo van Gogh
Date: Nuenen, between about Monday, 9 March and about Monday, 23 March 1885
Source status
Original manuscript
Location
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, inv. no. b434 V/1962
Date
In letter 484 written on or about 2 March, Vincent promised to paint some heads and send them to Theo. Now he says he has a few that are finished, but that they are not yet dry. He also says: ‘I didn’t want to put off writing again any longer’ (ll. 65-66). All this in any event places the letter some time after the previous one, and it was certainly written before Mr van Gogh’s stroke on 26 March (486).
From a letter dated 25 March from Mrs van Gogh to Theo we learn that Theo had lent Vincent a book that he had already had a chance to start reading: ‘Well we saw Vincent got a book to read, so another sign of life, which is always pleasing. He seems to be reading it with great ambition. I’ve already heard him say: that’s a fine book, so you will give him a great deal of pleasure with it’ (FR b2268; this was probably the book by Gigoux discussed later (see letters 492 and 494)). Since nothing is said about it in the present letter, we assume that this letter must have been written before Vincent received the book, so at least a few days before 25 March. It is not possible to give any more precise date; we have therefore dated the letter between about Monday, 9 and about Monday, 23 March 1885.
Sketches
- Head of a woman (
F - / JH 713 ), letter sketch - Seated woman (
F - / JH 713 ), letter sketch - Two heads of women (
F - / JH 714 ), letter sketch