1. In a letter written to his sister Willemien on 24 and 26 February 1888, Theo reported that Vincent left for Arles in the south of France ‘last Sunday’; this was therefore Sunday, 19 February. Since Theo also wrote that the journey would take a ‘day and night’, Vincent must have reached Arles on Monday, 20 February (FR b914). In his letter Theo explained Vincent’s motives for going to Arles: he was looking for lighter colours than he could find in the north, and he wanted to recover his physical strength. The stay in Arles was originally intended to be temporary, and Van Gogh was planning to go on to Marseille later. (See Documentation, 24 and 26 February 1888).

2. The provincial town of Breda in Brabant had around 22,000 inhabitants at that time; the mining town of Mons in the Borinage had some 25,500. Arles had a population of about 23,500 in 1888.

3. Van Gogh took the express train from Paris to Marseille (the ‘Paris-Lyon-Méditerranée’) and changed to a local train at Tarascon, about 20 km to the north of Arles. See exhib. cat. Chicago 2001, p. 100.

4. Between the end of February and early May Van Gogh rented a room from Albert Carrel and Cathérine Carrel-Garcin. Hotel-Restaurant Carrel was at 30 rue Amédée-Pichot, in the northern part of the town. This section of the street was known as rue de la Cavalerie until 1887; Van Gogh was therefore using the old address. The hotel was a ‘two-storey house, small terrace on top and balcony on the first floor’ (maison à deux étages, petite terrasse au-dessus et balcon au premier). See Coquiot 1923, p. 161. In the official deeds the name is spelled ‘Carel’ (ACA and L’indicateur marseillais 1888).

5. Van Gogh wrote that the antique dealer had his premises ‘in this very street’; however the address books do not record any in rue Amédée-Pichot or rue de la Cavalerie. The closest antique dealers were Mrs Orcel, 10 Rond-point des Arènes, and Berthet, 5 rue de la Sous-Préfecture.