1. Van Gogh had written this in letter 805 of about 20 September 1889, some two months after his first attack in Saint-Rémy.

2. When he left Arles in May 1889, Van Gogh had stored his furniture at Joseph and Marie Ginoux’s Café de la Gare.

3. For these etchings by Rembrandt, see letter 865.

4. The letter sketch The raising of Lazarus (after Rembrandt) (F - / JH 1973) was made after the painting of the same name F 677 / JH 1972 . For Rembrandt’s etching, see letter 865, n. 3.

5. Augustine Roulin was the model for the five versions of Augustine Roulin (‘La berceuse’): F 504 / JH 1655 , F 505 / JH 1669 , F 506 / JH 1670 , F 507 / JH 1672 and F 508 / JH 1671 .

6. Marie Ginoux was portrayed by Gauguin in his drawing Madame Ginoux (study for ‘Night café, Arles’), 1888 (Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Memorial gift from Dr T. Edward and Tullah Hanley, Bradford Pennsylvania). Ill. 97 . Gauguin’s drawing came into the possession of Theo and was sold in 1910 (see Account book 2002, p. 150). Van Gogh had made five paintings after it, four of which are still known: Marie Ginoux (‘The Arlésienne’) F 540 / JH 1892 , F 541 / JH 1893 , F 542 / JH 1894 and F 543 / JH 1895 . Regarding this consignment, see letter 863, n. 8.

7. Letter 863 contained an order for paint, brushes and canvas.

8. Meadow in the garden of the asylum (F 672 / JH 1975 ).

9. The Good Samaritan (after Delacroix) (F 633 / JH 1974 ). Van Gogh had planned to paint this canvas as early as September 1889, and mentioned his intention again in February (see letters 805 and 854).

10. Albert Wolff wrote in his article ‘Le Salon’, published in Le Figaro 36 (30 April 1890), 3rd series, pp. 1-3, about the work of Quost: ‘Mr Quost paints flowers with virtuosity, in the open air, in bright daylight, all in green and all in yellow’ (M. Quost peint avec virtuosité des fleurs en plein air, en pleine lumière, en plein vert et en plein jaune) (p. 2). The painting in question is Easter flowers (Roubaix, Musée d’Art et d’Industrie). Ill. 324 .