1. See letter 699, n. 6, for the Bague question.

2. Vincent had sent drawings and studies to his uncle, the art dealer Cornelis Marinus van Gogh, several times in 1882-1883: cf. letter 388, n. 1.

3. Edmond de Goncourt’s Les frères Zemganno (1879) tells the life story of the acrobats Nello and Gianni. Edmond’s aim in writing this novel was to portray his emotional relationship with his brother Jules in a poetic manner.

Van Gogh refers to the fact that the brothers are always short of money and can only support themselves through hard work. Nello is injured attempting a dangerous stunt and becomes a permanent invalid. Because the brothers are dependent on one another in their work, they are forced to abandon their careers as acrobats.

4. Van Gogh had bought a dressing table and asked whether Theo could send the sum he had spent by money order (letter 701).

5. See letter 625, n. 22, for Gauguin’s family.

6. Van Gogh must be referring to the panels Monticelli used for his paintings. With the exception of Arabs and horseman , all the Monticellis in the Van Gogh brothers’ collection were done on panels (see letter 578, n. 5). He often used walnut panels, which he bought from a furniture maker. See Alauzen and Ripert 1969, p. 156.

7. See letter 670, n. 7, for ‘La Canebière’.

8. See letter 600, n. 14, for Monticelli’s drinking.

9. Joseph Roulin.

10. This is a reference to the art dealer Evelina Delarebeyrette. See letter 600, n. 14, for the nickname ‘La Roquette’.

11. Van Gogh wrote this in letter 670 to Willemien, and in letter 689 to Theo.