1. On 18 or 19 January, Van Gogh had visited Joseph Ginoux and his wife Marie, who was suffering from nervous attacks and menopausal complaints. In letter 842 he had promised to return within the fortnight, but a new attack had prevented him from carrying out this plan.

2. Shortly before this, Van Gogh had received a letter from Gauguin (letter 844).

3. Theo’s son, Vincent Willem, was born on 31 January.

4. Van Gogh is referring to Aurier’s article ‘Les isolés: Vincent van Gogh’, which had appeared in Mercure de France and in the Belgian journal L’Art Moderne (see letter 845, n. 2). Theo had also informed Vincent of an earlier article about the Brussels exhibition in L’Art Moderne; see letter 843, n. 5.

Félix Fénéon had written in La Vogue about Van Gogh’s works at the exhibition of the Indépendants in Paris; see letter 799, n. 13. There is no indication, however, that Van Gogh knew about this article.

5. This refers to Auguste Lauzet; see letter 843.