a. Read: ‘séjourne’.

1. Van Gogh thought his bill was too high and appealed to the justice of the peace. According to what Mrs Carrel of the hotel of the same name recalled later, the dispute was based on a misunderstanding: ‘there would have been no disagreement about the price; however Vincent would have wanted to pay when the Carrels were eating; he would have been asked to wait until later; at which point Vincent would have gone to the “justice of the peace” to hand over the amount owed!’ (il n’y aurait pas eu de désaccord quant au prix; toutefois Vincent aurait voulu payer au moment où le ménage Carrel se trouvait à table; on lui aurait fait remarquer qu’il aurait pu remettre cela à plus tard; sur ce, Vincent se serait rendu chez le “juge de paix” pour lui confier la somme due!) (see Stokvis 1929, p. 4).

2. Van Gogh stayed at Café de la Gare, 30 place Lamartine, until 17 September, when he took up residence in the Yellow House. The proprietors of the café were Joseph Ginoux and his wife Marie. We learn from letters 656 and 691 that Van Gogh was staying in this café.

3. Among these destroyed works were a study of a drawbridge, of which only a fragment is known (see letter 589), a large painting of a cherry tree (see letter 599), and possibly a few studies of orchards (see letter 590, n. 4 and letter 592, n. 4).

4. This first consignment of at least 26 paintings from Arles must in any event have included the twelve studies referred to in letter 585, with the exception of Landscape with snow (F 290 / JH 1360 ), which Van Gogh kept for the moment (see letter 611, n. 4). Those studies were: [1] The Langlois bridge with washerwomen (F 397 / JH 1368 ), [2] The Gleize bridge with washerwomen (F 396 / JH 1367 ), [3] Avenue of plane trees (F 398 / JH 1366 ), [4] An old woman of Arles (F 390 / JH 1357 ), [5] View of a butcher’s shop (F 389 / JH 1359 ), [6] Landscape with snow (F 391 / JH 1358 ), [7] Sprig of almond blossom in a glass (F 392 / JH 1361 ), [8] Sprig of almond blossom in a glass with a book (F 393 / JH 1362 ), [9] Basket of oranges (F 395 / JH 1363 ), [10] The smoker (F 534 / JH 1651 ) (see letter 580), and [11] Pollard willows with setting sun (F 572 / JH 1597 ). The Langlois bridge (F 400 / JH 1371 ) must also have been in this batch (letter 589).

5. The painting is Landscape with a path and pollard willows (F 407 / JH 1402 ); the drawing that served as the example for the painting, Landscape with a path and pollard willows (F 1499 / JH 1372 ), dated March 1888 by Van Gogh, was probably in the first batch of drawings sent to Theo at the end of April. See letter 602.

b. Read: ‘demeurer’.

6. These were letters 602, 603 and 604, of which the latter two may have been sent together.