111 To Theo van Gogh. Dordrecht, Sunday, 15 April 1877.

metadata

No. 111 (Brieven 1990 110, Complete Letters 90)
From: Vincent van Gogh
To: Theo van Gogh
Date: Dordrecht, Sunday, 15 April 1877

Source status

Original manuscript

Location

Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, inv. no. b108 V/1962

Date

On the day he wrote this letter, Van Gogh’s roommate P.C. Görlitz visited Rev. Van Gogh in Etten, and there was an early sermon in Dordrecht. Lack of documented evidence makes it impossible to date these events, however. It is certain that this letter was written on a Sunday, because of the sermon (l. 44). This must have been after Sunday, 18 March, since Van Gogh mentions having visited Amsterdam on that day (the museum, l. 4). There is also a reference, however, to a letter from Uncle Vincent van Gogh, in which he must have said that he was unable to lend any further support to Vincent’s new plans and intended to break off the correspondence (l. 33). Mrs van Gogh talks about this in a letter to Theo dated Wednesday, 18 April: ‘Dearest Theo, we haven’t read the letter from Uncle to Vincent yet; Vincent is to bring it with him some time when he comes. Uncle wrote to tell us that he had written to him, but could not endorse his plans’ (FR b2521; see also n. 11). Theo must therefore have written to his mother about the letter from Uncle Vincent, having been prompted to do so by what Vincent told him in the present letter. Considering the importance of this matter and the frequent contact among family members in this period – the whole family were together in Etten at Easter, on 1 April – it is unlikely that the contents of Uncle Vincent’s letter were not yet known to the parents three weeks later. Because Van Gogh had already written letter 110 by Sunday, 8 April, it is likely that the present letter was written on Sunday, 15 April. A dating to later in April is unlikely, because around that time plans for Vincent to study in Amsterdam were already taking shape.

Placing this letter between the letter of 8 April (letter 110) and that of 22 and 23 April (letter 112) helps to clarify a number of things: for example, the remark about the books by Thoré (letter 112, l. 66) can now be explained as a reaction to the letter Theo wrote after receiving the book by Thoré that was sent with the present letter; and more light is shed on the letters that had meanwhile reached Van Gogh from Harry Gladwell’s father and Harry (see the present letter, l. 37 and letter 112, l. 57), telling of Harry’s difficulties. Finally, it would be strange if Van Gogh were to wait until three weeks after the fact to ask if he had already told them that Görlitz had applied for a teaching post in Etten (see letter 112, l. 50).

Ongoing topics

Theo’s infatuation (103)

Vincent’s plans to become a clergyman (106)

original text

1r:1

Waarde Theo,

Dank voor Uw brief van gisteren, die ik een uurtje tijd hebbende heden beantwoord.

Heb mij herinnerd wij op ’t museum van der Hoop zijnde1 spraken over het boekje van Burger,2 hierbij ontvangt Gij het per post, Gij zult er in vinden nog eene houtsnee naar G. Doré, Judith & Holophernes en een naar Brion &c. voor Uw plakboek.–3 Ga daar maar mede door want dat zult Gij wel mooi krijgen door den tijd.–

Neem mijne kleine bijdrage maar aan, het is mij zoozeer behoefte om door kleinigheden in gemeenschap met U te blijven, als ik op mijn kamertje kom word ik telkens aan U herinnerd door de platen aan den muur.–4

De liefde tusschen broeders is een krachtigen steun in het leven, dat is eene van ouds erkende waarheid, laat ons zoeken naar dien steun, het liefdevuur tusschen ons worde niet verdoofd5 maar veeleer laat levenservaring den band tusschen ons versterken,6 laat ons oprecht7 en openhartig blijven met elkaar, laten er geene geheimen zijn – zooals dat heden is.–

Dank voor Uw laatsten brief. “het is nog niet voorbij” zegt Gij – neen dat kan het nog niet zijn.– Uw hart zal behoefte hebben zich te vertrouwen en zich uit te storten – daar zal tweestrijd zijn in U – haar of mijn Vader8 – ik geloof dat onzen Vader U meer 1v:2 liefheeft dan zij – dat Zijne liefde van grooter waarde is – het is fijn goud9 die woorden:

Het kind vertrouwt zich aan zijn Vader

Dat is die Vader waard

Uw Vader toch Wien hebt ge nader

In Hemel of op aard.–10

Ga er nog maar eens heen11 als het U te moeielijk wordt.

Deze week kreeg ik een brief van Oom Vincent die schrijft Hij het niet noodig oordeelt de correspondentie verder voort te zetten, dat Hij in dit geval mij niet kan behulpzaam zijn.–12 Ook kwam tegelijk een brief van den Heer Gladwell waarin hij schrijft over Harry – die heel wat zielsangst moet hebben uitgestaan en wien het vuur na aan de scheenen moet zijn gelegd om hem te doen handelen zooals hij gehandeld heeft.13

Heden is de Hr Gorlitz te Etten om Pa te spreken over de vacante onderwijzersbetrekking aan de Leur.14 Van harte hoop ik Hij die zal krijgen.– Heden was het hier voor het eerst vroegpreek15 waar ik ben geweest, de preek was zeer mooi over de verschijning van Jezus aan de discipelen aan de zee van Tiberias, Joh. 21.

Hierbij eenige gedichten van Uhland die mij troffen.16 Schrijft Gij weer spoedig, jongen, groet Uwe huisgenooten hartelijk voor mij en ontvang in gedachten een handdruk van

Uw liefh. broer

Vincent

bloemen uit Etten door Gorlitz meegebragt.17

translation

1r:1

My dear Theo,

Thanks for your letter of yesterday, which I answer today, having an hour of time.

Remembered that when we were at the Van der Hoop Museum1 we talked about the book by Bürger,2 which you’ll be receiving in the post, in it you’ll also find a woodcut after G. Doré, Judith and Holofernes, and one after Brion &c. for your scrapbook.3 Do go on with it, because you’ll turn it into something beautiful in time.

Do accept my small contribution, I need so much to commune with you by way of such trifles; when I come back to my room I’m reminded of you again and again by the illustrations on the wall.4

The love between brothers is a great support in life, that is an age-old truth, let us seek that support, let the fire of love between us not be extinguished,5 but let instead the experience of life make that bond ever stronger,6 let us remain upright7 and candid with each other, let there be no secrets – as things stand today.

Thanks for your last letter. ‘It’s not over yet’, you say – no, it cannot be over yet. Your heart will need to trust itself and to pour forth – you’ll be torn between the two – her and my Father8 – I think that our Father loves you more 1v:2 than she does – that his love is worth more – these words are ‘fine gold’:9

The child puts great faith in his Father

As befits the father’s worth.

For who is closer than thy Father, is he nearer

In Heaven or on earth?10

By all means go there again11 if things get to be too much for you.

This week I got a letter from Uncle Vincent, who wrote that he thought it unnecessary to continue the correspondence, that he cannot help me in this matter.12 A letter came at the same time from Mr Gladwell, in which he wrote about Harry – who must have endured much anguish, being very hard pressed to make him act as he did.13

Mr Görlitz is in Etten today to talk to Pa about the vacancy for a teaching post at Leur.14 I sincerely hope he’ll get it. Today was the first early sermon,15 which I attended, the sermon was very beautiful, about Jesus showing himself to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias, John 21.

Herewith a few poems by Uhland which I found moving.16 Do write soon, old boy, give my warm regards to your housemates, and accept a handshake in thought from

Your loving brother,

Vincent

Flowers from Etten, brought by Görlitz.17

notes

1. From 1854 to 1885, the Museum Van der Hoop in Amsterdam was housed in the former Oude Mannen- en Vrouwenhuis (Old Men’s and Old Women’s House) in the Oudemanhuispoort, which the brothers visited on 18 March (see letter 109). In 1885 the collection was moved to the newly built Rijksmuseum. See exhib. cat. Amsterdam 2004-2.

2. E.J.T. Thoré (under the pseudonym of W. Bürger), Musées de la Hollande, ii. Musée Van der Hoop, à Amsterdam et Musée de Rotterdam. Paris 1860.

3. In the Van Gogh family estate there are two scrapbooks containing several dozen prints (Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, inv. nos. t*1487 and t*1488). The woodcut in question after Gustave Doré, Judith with the head of Holophernes (Swansea, Glynn Vivian Art Gallery), Ill. 1801 , is not to be found in either scrapbook, nor is a print after Brion (unless it is one of the unidentified prints in the scrapbooks).

It was previously assumed, on the basis of a remark written later on the endpaper, that the prints in the first album (on yellow paper, 30 x 24 cm) had been collected by Vincent when he was living in Paris (May 1875-March 1876), but this seems unlikely. It seems more probable that both albums, the second one as well (on blue paper, 50 x 30 cm), belonged to Theo. Exactly how these scrapbooks took shape is difficult to ascertain, however. On this subject, see exhib. cat. Amsterdam 2003, p. 102.

4. Theo had given Vincent a number of prints. See letter 109.

5. Rhy. ps. 133:1.

6. A prayer written and often recited in the family circle by Mr van Gogh; see letter 113.

7. Biblical.

8. This remark suggests that it was Mr van Gogh in particular who disapproved of Theo’s infatuation.

9. Biblical; see, for example, Ps. 19:11 (in KJ Ps. 19:10) and Isa. 13:12.

10. Hymn 56:4.

11. By ‘there’ Van Gogh must have meant their parental home.

12. Uncle Vincent had been consulted about Vincent’s plans to study in Amsterdam. On 18 April 1877, Mrs van Gogh wrote to Theo: ‘Uncle wrote that he had written to him [Vincent], but could not endorse his plans. You say that Uncle doesn’t know Vincent, that he means well, but that isn’t the point. Though Uncle doesn’t sympathize with his ideas, he knows very well that Vincent is a good person, but Uncle sees no future prospects in the plans, and knows that this is necessary, and that’s why he cannot accept them and certainly told Vincent this plainly. You and we are not yet reconciled to it either, but we would risk putting it to the test if possible, though we’ve heard nothing more from Amsterdam from Uncle Cor or Uncle Stricker, whom we long to hear from. This morning a kind letter from Uncle Jan, saying that Vincent’s room was being made ready, meaning that he can come if he wants to – otherwise Uncle isn’t getting involved in it, but provides the opportunity. Who knows whether this will do Vincent good, and civilize him, that is certainly a redeeming feature of this affair, that there is this good opportunity, because if he wants to become a clergyman, Vincent must really be able to associate just as easily with the upper classes as with simple folk’ (FR b2521).

13. In letter 112 it emerges that Harry Gladwell had fallen into (unspecified) difficulties.

14. Leur was a village due west of Etten; now the two places form the municipality of Etten-Leur.

15. The early sermon is a sermon delivered in the early-morning service held at 7.00 am. No details have been found about the ‘first’ early sermon. Van Gogh presumably meant that the first early service of that year had been held (the cold weather usually being over by mid-April).

16. It is not known which poems by Uhland were enclosed with the letter.

17. This choice of words suggests that the letter to Theo contained one or more of the flowers that Görlitz had brought back from Etten.