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701 To Theo van Gogh. Arles, Wednesday, 10 or Thursday, 11 October 1888.

metadata
No. 701 (Brieven 1990 706, Complete Letters 549)
From: Vincent van Gogh
To: Theo van Gogh
Date: Arles, Wednesday, 10 or Thursday, 11 October 1888

Source status
Original manuscript

Location
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, inv. no. b593 V/1962

Date
On Tuesday, 9 or Wednesday, 10 October Van Gogh said that the previous day – in other words Monday, 8 or Tuesday, 9 October – he had sent Theo a telegram asking for 20 francs (letter 700). Theo had evidently not replied on the day he received it, but he would not have delayed long in sending the money order, so we assume he did so on 9 or 10 October.
In the present letter Vincent thanks Theo for the money order for 20 francs. He has meanwhile used it to buy a dressing table. In letter 703 of 13 October Van Gogh lists a large number of works that he had made in the preceding days; none of these works is mentioned in the present letter (he simply refers to a painting of the park (ll. 41-42)), which means that it must have been written some days prior to 13 October. We have therefore dated the letter Wednesday, 10 or Thursday, 11 October 1888.
Letter 702 was written later on the same day; see Date in the notes to that letter.

Ongoing topics
Gauguin’s illness (581)
Gauguin coming to Arles (602)
Consignment of studies to exchange with the group of painters in Pont-Aven (698)

original text
 1r:1
Mon cher Theo,
Lettre de Gauguin pour dire qu’il me fait un tas de compliments immérités et pour ajouter qu’il ne viendra que fin du mois. Qu’il a été malade... qu’il redoute le voyage....1 Qu’y puis je..... mais enfin voyons – ce voyage est-il donc si éreintant puisque pourtant les pires poitrinaires le font. ???
Quand il viendra il sera le bienvenu.
S’il ne vient pas, eh bien c’est son affaire. Mais n’est-il pas clair ou ne devrait-il pas l’être qu’il vient ici juste pour être mieux.
Et il prétend avoir besoin de rester là-bas pour se guérir! Quelle betises! tout de même.
Merci de ton mandat de 20 francs. Je t’avais dit dans ma liste d’achats nécessaires 35 francs pour la commode table à toilette2 – bon – je viens d’en acheter une à 14 francs et de la payer, naturellement.–
Renvoie moi ces 14 francs par mandat je t’en prie.–
 1v:2
J’ai d’autant moins hesité à prendre ce meuble que je veux être prêt pour le cas où Gauguin viendrait plus tôt.
Je t’envoie copie de ma réponse à sa lettre un peu trop complimenteuse.3 Puisqu’il ne vient pas tout de suite, à plus forte raison je veux chercher à avoir tout en bon ordre et prêt à le recevoir le jour où il viendra.
J’ai fait nouvelle toile de 30 et je compte en commencer une nouvelle ce soir lorsqu’on allumera le gaz.
Celle que je viens de faire est encore un jardin.4
J’ai de ces jours ci toujours le sentiment de dépenser de l’argent mais tous les jours aussi cela m’étonne de le retrouver dans la maison. Allez cela fait du bien de rentrer chez soi et cela donne des idées pour le travail. Gauguin écrit très gentiment mais enfin il ne dit pas pourquoi il ne vient pas tout de suite. Il dit “parcequ’il est malade” mais viendrait-il ici pour se guérir? il me semblait justement que c’etait juste cela que nous cherchions.– Enfin laissez les faire tout ce que bon leur semblera.–

t. à t.
Vincent

 1v:3
Reponse à la lettre de Gauguin

Mon cher Gauguin.
Merci de votre lettre – en verité trop complimenteuse pour moi.– Vous ne venez ainsi qu’à la fin du mois.–
Parfait – du moment qu’il doive vous sembler que vous guerirez plus vite en Bretagne qu’ici.
Je n’insiste pas. Seulement si la guérison ne marchait pas fort en Bretagne songez y donc que nous autres prétendons vous guérir ici plus vite que ça.
Allons, tout va toujours pour le mieux dans ce meilleur des mondes – où nous avons – toujours selon l’excellent père Pangloss, le bonheur ineffable de nous trouver.–5 Dans ce cas ci aussi je n’en doute aucunément – tout ira pour le mieux.–
Mais est ce que c’est exessivement vrai que le voyage à Arles soit si éreintant que vous dites. Va donc. puisque les pires poitrinaires le font.– Vous savez bien que le PLM6 est pour cela.– Ou bien êtes vous encore plus malade que vous dites. Je le crains et s’il y a lieu rassurez moi à ce sujet ou bien ecrivez carrement que vous etes mal pris, malade.
 1r:4
Mais vous ecrivez affaires, vous parlez de la lithographie.
Voici mon opinion.
Faire des lithographies le soir. Vous, moi, Bernard, Laval..... bon – j’en suis certes – mais pour leur publication périodique je n’en serai CERTES PAS tant que je ne suis pas plus riche que cela.
J’en ai plus qu’assez pour la peinture.– On y est dans la lithographie toujours pour son argent même en n’achetant pas les pierres. Cela ne couterait pas trop cher – je ne dis pas – mais enfin pour une publication quelque humble qu’elle fusse nous y serions à quatre pour au moins 50 francs “chaque”.a Et encore......
Dites moi le contraire si vous voulez, je n’insiste pas, mais enfin je dis ce que je dis.– J’ai déjà une petite experience d’un essai.7
Mais le.... encore... que j’ajoute c’est que cela ne durerait point et surtout ne prendrait point non plus dans le public.– et nous continuerions toujours à y être pour nos frais. Même si nous y sommes pour nos frais à la rigueur j’en suis encore pour faire ces lithographies en question.– Jamais par contre – même sans frais – je serais pour leur publication. Est ce à nos frais et pour notre propre plaisir et usage alors je vous le repète j’en suis. Est ce que vous en presumez autre chose?? je n’en serais pas.
ne me dites pas que cela coûte si peu que cela s’il s’agit de publier.

t. à v.
Vincent

Et venez donc le plus tôt que vous pourrez!

P.S. Avez vous reçu mes toiles???

P.S. à Gauguin:8
Si vous n’êtes pas trop malade venez de suite s.v.p. Si vous etes trop malade s.v.p. dépêche et lettre.

Tu trouveras peutetre trop raide le P.S. à Gauguin mais qu’il dise oui ou non. IL EST malade mais il se guerira bien mieux ici va.–

translation
 1r:1
My dear Theo,
Letter from Gauguin, to say that he pays me a heap of undeserved compliments, and to add that he won’t come until the end of the month. That he’s been ill... That he dreads the journey....1 What can I do about it..... But come on, let’s see — is this journey so exhausting, then, when after all the worst consumptives do it???
When he comes he’ll be welcome.
If he doesn’t come, well, then, it’s his business. But isn’t it clear, or shouldn’t it be, that he’s coming here precisely in order to get better?
And he claims to need to stay over there in order to recover! What stupidities! Honestly.
Thank you for your 20-franc money order. In my list of necessary purchases I said 35 francs for the chest of drawers-dressing table2 — well — I’ve just bought one for 14 francs and paid for it, of course.
Send me these 14 francs by money order, please.  1v:2
I was less hesitant about buying this piece of furniture because I want to be ready in case Gauguin were to come sooner.
I send you copy of my reply to his rather over-complimentary letter.3 Since he’s not coming right away, all the more reason why I want to try to have everything in good order and ready to receive him the day he comes.
I’ve done a new no. 30 canvas, and I plan to start another one this evening when they light the gas.
The one I’ve just done is another garden.4
These last few days I always have the feeling of spending money, but every day too, it astonishes me to find it in the house. You know, it really does you good to come back to your own home, and it gives you ideas for work. Gauguin writes very amiably, but he doesn’t actually say why he isn’t coming right away. He says ‘because he’s ill’, but would he come here to recover? It seemed to me, precisely, that that was just what we were looking for. Ah well, let them do all that seems best to them.

Ever yours,
Vincent

 1v:3
Reply to Gauguin’s letter

My dear Gauguin.
Thank you for your letter — truly too full of compliments for me. So you’re not coming until the end of the month.
Perfect — seeing that it must appear to you that you’ll recover more quickly in Brittany than here.
I won’t press the point. Only, if your recovery wasn’t going well in Brittany, then think about this, that we think we could get you well here more quickly than that.
Look, everything is always for the best in this best of worlds — in which we have — still according to the excellent père Pangloss, the ineffable happiness of finding ourselves.5 In this case too, I have no doubt at all — all will be for the best.
But is it inordinately true that the journey to Arles is as exhausting as you say? Come on. Because the worst consumptives do it. You know very well that the PLM6 is for that. Or are you even iller than you say? I fear so, and if there is reason to, reassure me on this subject, or else write frankly that you’re in a bad way, ill.  1r:4
But you write business, you talk about lithography.
Here’s my opinion.
Making lithographs in the evening. You, me, Bernard, Laval..... fine — I’m in, of course — but as for their periodical publication I shall DEFINITELY NOT be in as long as I’m not any better off than now.
I have more than enough with painting. In lithography one is always in for one’s money, even when not buying the stones. It wouldn’t cost too much — I’m not saying — but in the end, for a publication, however modest it might be, the four of us would be in for at least 50 francs ‘each’. And even then......
Tell me the opposite if you like, I’m not pressing the point, but anyway, I say what I say. I already have some little experience of an attempt.7
But the .... even then... that I add, is that it wouldn’t last, and above all, wouldn’t catch on with the public, either. And we’d always continue to be in for our expenses. Even if we’re in for our expenses, if it comes to it, I’m still in for making these lithographs in question. On the other hand, I would never — even without expenses — be in favour of their publication. If it’s at our expense and for our own pleasure and use, then I repeat I’m in. Are you assuming something else?? I would not be in.
Don’t tell me that it costs as little as that if it’s a question of publishing.

Ever yours,
Vincent

So come as soon as you can, then!

P.S. Did you receive my canvases???

P.S. to Gauguin:8
If you aren’t too ill, please come right away. If you are too ill, telegram and letter, please.

You’ll perhaps find the P.S. to Gauguin too blunt, but it’s up to him to say yes or no. HE IS ill, but look, he’ll recover much better here, come on.
notes
1. The letter from Gauguin to Vincent has not survived; he had also written to tell Theo that he would travel to Arles at the end of the month. He informed Schuffenecker on 8 October that he had had another attack of dysentery. See Correspondance Gauguin 1984, pp. 247-249.
2. In letter 694 Van Gogh had made a list of things he still wanted to buy for the Yellow House. He had estimated 40 francs for the dressing table with chest of drawers.
3. The ‘copy’ of the letter to Gauguin that Van Gogh includes here (ll. 55 ff.) has been so drastically edited that it is doubtful whether it can really be called a copy in the strict sense of the word: there are numerous crossings-out and insertions, so that it would appear to be an amended version of the letter to Gauguin.
4. This view of the park was Entrance to the public garden (F 566 / JH 1585 ). In letter 703 Van Gogh says he has two paintings of this ‘other garden’ (to distinguish it from the ‘poet’s garden’); the second painting was The public garden with a couple strolling (‘The poet’s garden’) (F 479 / JH 1601 ).
5. See letter 568, n. 3, for this allusion to Voltaire’s Candide.
6. ‘PLM’ is the abbreviation for the ‘Paris-Lyon-Méditerranée’, the railway company that operated this line.
a. Read: ‘chacun’.
7. Van Gogh had made lithographs in The Hague and Nuenen. The cost of the process was a recurring theme in his letters to Theo at the time. See Van Heugten and Pabst 1995. His experiences with lithography did not produce the expected results, and this explains his dismissive attitude here.
8. Van Gogh wrote ‘P.S. to Gauguin’ so that Theo would understand that this remark belonged with the letter to Gauguin; it is in the bottom margin of p. [1r:1], and thus in the letter to Theo.