Review of Vincent van Gogh - The Letters
Resource title: Vincent van Gogh - The Letters
Editors: Leo Jansen, Hans Luijten, Nienke Bakker
In association with: Van Gogh Museum and Huygens ING.
Published in: October, 2009
Web address: https://vangoghletters.org/
​
About the reviewer
Shiho Nakamura is attending the Digital Humanities and Digital Knowledge master’s degree at the
University of Bologna. She previously earned her bachelor’s degree from the School of International
Liberal Studies at Waseda University, Japan. After graduation, her professional experience in the travel and
IT industries led her to develop an interest in the preservation and dissemination of cultural heritage
through digital technologies. Her primary focus lies in data visualization and museology, particularly in
fostering connections between cultural heritage and the general public.
Abstract
Vincent van Gogh - The Letters is a digital scholarly edition that presents all of the existing letters written
by and received by the 19th century Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh. Along with the
letters, the edition provides plentiful resources to add historical context, such as essays about Van Gogh,
descriptions of correspondences, and biographical details about him and his family. This review aims to
examine the features and analyze its quality as a scholarly digital edition, following the framework
presented by Patrick Sahle in“Criteria for reviewing scholarly digital editions”.
1.​Opening the review
General introduction
Van Gogh was born in 1853 in Groot Zundert, Netherlands. He is considered one of the most important
and influential painters in Western art history, during his life he created approximately 2,100 pieces of
artwork including masterpieces such as series of Sunflowers(1888) and The Starry Night (1889). This
edition focuses on his other aspect, as a letter-writer. Through the letters, he expresses his artistic intentions
and emotional states, which are rich resources to unravel his creative activity and unique life story. This
digital edition represents each of the letters with full images, transcriptions, English translation, and rich
comprehensive annotation.
​​
Figure 1 (left). The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh1
Figure 2 (right). Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh2
Figure 3. Vincent van Gogh - The Letters homepage
Bibliographic identification, general parameters, and transparency
This digital edition was published simultaneously with a print edition in October 2009. The editors are
Leo Jansen, Hans Luijten and Nienke Bakker of the Van Gogh Museum, in association with the Huygens
Institute.
The project for implementing a new edition of Van Gogh’s letters was officially initiated in 1994, as a
collaboration of Van Gogh Museum and the Huygens Institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy. It was
1
2
Adapted from The Starry Night by Van Gogh (1889), courtesy of The Museum of Modern Art.
Adapted from Sunflowers by Van Gogh (1888), courtesy of The National Gallery.
the consequence of a decision based on the necessity of new transcriptions and translations, as previous
editions contained errors and omissions. In 2004, still in the process of research and production, online
publication was decided due to the evolutionary rise of digital media, resulting in the publication of both
web and print editions at the same time3.
2.​Subject and content of the edition
Selection
This digital edition holds a total of 902 letters and 25 “Related Manuscripts” (incomplete fragments such
as unsent drafts) that were written by or received by Van Gogh4. Correspondents included family and
artist friends, mainly his younger brother Theo with whom Gogh had an especially strong bond. In his
letters, Van Gogh explores themes of universal human interest and significance (Grant, 2014). They are “a
rich source of information about Van Gogh’s gripping life story and exceptional work” (Jansen, Luijten,
Bakker, 2009). This edition uncovers the entirety of the uniqueness of the painter as a “letter-writer”,
founding a research ground for any field related to Van Gogh studies.
Previous and project’s achievements
The history publication of Van Gogh’s letters began with the first major edition published in 1914 by Jo
van Gogh-Bonger5, followed by another edition including all the existing correspondents in 1952-54 by
V.W. van Gogh6. In 1990, the Van Gogh Museum published “De brieven”, which was innovative in its
inclusion of previously unpublished letters and its reorganization of the letter sequence. However, it was
presented in modern Dutch, requiring researchers unfamiliar with the language to depend on earlier
editions. By that time, scholars had identified editorial errors and omissions in the transcriptions, which
led to the publication of the current edition.
The innovations of the digital new edition can be analyzed from three perspectives. Firstly, it reaches out
to a much broader range of audience; to international readers, as has been planned from the start to fulfill
the needs of global scholars. The second point is the qualitative advancement of the transcriptions. All the
existing letters were consulted and transcribed by specialists as a diplomatic transcription, which became
the basis of the “reading text” displayed on the webpage. The third point is regarding the digital
dimension. The interconnectability of text to other related texts or images has been achieved by
hyperlinks and the multiple panel displays of different views. It also manages to contain abundant
resources of annotations and images, which could not have been accomplished in a traditional book
3
Information regarding publication history is from the section of Introduction in About this edition.
The artist has written over 2,000 letters throughout his lifetime (Van Gogh Museum, n.d.), but the edition is a
complete collection of all the existing letters
5
Jo van Gogh-Bonger is the wife of Theo Van Gogh.
6
V.W. van Gog is Jo’s son.
4
edition. Patrick Sahle’s statements of a digital paradigm: “A digital edition cannot be given in print
without significant loss of content and functionality.” (Sahle, 2016, p.27) illustrates this aspect accurately.
Content
The main content of the edition is the collection of the 902 existing letters and related manuscripts of
Vincent van Gogh, which are represented in different types of text; the normalized original text, the
unnormalized original text with line endings aligning the manuscript, and the English translation. The text
is associated with editorial notes and images of relevant artworks. A set of facsimiles is available for
every letter.
Figure 4. Image of “relevant artworks” mentioned in the annotations
The edition also provides rich additional resources that add historical context, which allow readers to
develop a deeper understanding and connections of knowledge with the letters. Included features are:
●​ Essays about Van Gogh’s letter writing by the editors.
●​ Documents that introduce the correspondents of the letters; family members, artist friends, and
lost correspondents.
●​ Detailed biography of Van Gogh, including descriptions of his family and financial backgrounds.
●​ Historical context such as the letter-writing culture.
●​ Chronology
●​ Publication history of the letters.
●​ Abbreviations of the Bible or words by Van Gogh used in the letters
●​ Glossary of materials and techniques
●​ List of artworks mentioned in the letters and in the annotations
●​ Maps of relevant locations.
●​ Documentation of letters or notes addressed to Van Gogh that are not directly associated with the
letters in the edition, but contain relevant context.
3.​Aims and methods
Mission and scholarly objectives
The editors clarify two objectives of this digital edition; the first is to distribute Van Gogh’s letters as his
intention, and the second is to associate the correspondence altogether in the historical context (Leo
Jansen, Hans Luijten, Nienke Bakker, 2009), through which the former is realized by the presentation of
letters with annotations, and the latter with regards to additional contents beside the letters.
The intended and designed usage is for academic purposes, the target audience being specialists,
researchers, scholars, and students. As a result of this decision, the level of the quality and quantity of
critical apparatus provided is adapted to those with an academic background7.
The edition opens doors for research in numerous academic fields, one, for example art history, as the
context behind Van Gogh’s works provided by letters enables historians to explore the transition of his
style through the course of history and relationships with other artists. Other disciplines in concern could
include literary studies, psychologists, psychiatrists, educationists, and digital humanists.
Methods
In accordance with the objectives set forth to deliver the letters as faithful to Van Gogh’s intention as
possible with enriched historical context, the edition follows a critical approach in which the
representation of the original manuscript is valued. The annotations are primarily aimed to “bridge
historic distance between the present reader and the author and recipients of the letter so that the text is
comprehensible and readable”, by focusing on “filling the gaps in the knowledge of the readers” (Leo
Jansen, Hans Luijten, Nienke Bakker, 2009). The approach is centered upon the documents, however,
materiality is also taken into account; physical descriptions of the letters are also included in the
annotations.
Representation of documents and text criticism
7
From the section of Introduction in About this edition.
Each one of the letters is represented as a document, containing metadata (see figure 5 for an example)8,
readable text based on the transcription, translation, annotation, and digital images which are the facsimile
and images of artworks related in the context of the letter. The letters are indexed in chronological order
of the date written. Elements in the annotation provided are historical backgrounds, cultural concepts, and
contextual information of related events.
Figure 5. Image of letter metadata (framed in red)
Van Gogh’s letters were often written in haste, sometimes under strong urges driven by emotions; they
contained errors, inconsistencies, and peculiarities. They reflect the nature of letters in general and the
idiosyncrasies or “slips of the pen” of Van Gogh. To ensure authenticity and the “directness” of the letters,
a major part of these errors are intentionally not corrected (see figure 6 for an example). The
reconstruction of the text is based on a set of principles, of basic general considerations and by category
with the description of the type of flaw and the identification of how they are presented in the edition.
.
​
Figure 6. Example of a case in which spelling errors that do not disrupt the interpretation of the letter are not
corrected in the reading text, and identified in the notes instead.
8
Metadata meaning the basic information about the letter itself: correspondent, date, location, ongoing topics and
additional information if any.
The basic idea is that the reading text is reproduced as its original unless it risked misunderstanding. The
identification of the errors, and the fact that it was amended if so, would be mentioned in the notes
section. To prioritize fidelity was also the task for translating, with slightly different principles applied.
The translators thrived to avoid interpretation and preserve awkwardness, while grammatical or spelling
errors were corrected.9
It is reasonable to suggest that the edition is a balanced proportion of a document centric viewpoint and an
interpretive one. The reading text is document centric because it aims to reconstruct the true original,
while the critical apparatus supplies the interpretive side. The presented critical apparatus aligns with
Buzzoni’s argument that a scholarly digital edition should enable the editor to present both the critically
reconstructed text and its various versions (Buzzoni, 2016).
4.​Publication and presentation
Technical infrastructure
Van Gogh - The Letters utilizes several technologies for its publication, based on XML documents
created for each letter. A dedicated schema was created, and the TEI guideline has been adapted for
names and tag types. Several databases were created for resources such as physical descriptions of the
letters, information about illustrations, and people mentioned in the correspondence.
The website was developed using the Ruby programming language, with programs to generate static
HTML pages, and to handle requests in the advanced search. Javascript is used to retrieve data for the
display of letters.
Other software used are:
●​ Lucene for the search index
●​ Metamorfoze for facsimile creation
●​ GSV image viewer for zooming
●​ ImageMagick for cutting facsimiles into tiles
Interface and usability
The overall interface is considerably intuitive and easy to maneuver. Its structure mainly consists of a
navigation and a display section (figure 7). Given the large number of pages, it is advisable for readers to
9
Further detailed information about principles of the transcriptions, the reading texts, the translations, and the
annotations can be found in the About the edition section of the website.
first consult the Quick Guide (figure 8), where readers can educate themselves to understand the structure
of the website. A small suggestion for improvement would be to enlarge this section which is located in a
series of headers at the top right corner, as its current size makes it difficult to locate at first glance.
Figure 7. Image of the general interface (guide section framed in red, display area framed in blue).
The Quick Guide section is visible in the top right corner.
​
Figure 8. Image of the Quick Guide section
Three columns are displayed by default to view the letters (figure 9)10. “Recent-viewed” letters of the
reader appear in a bar above the title (figure 10), along with access to previous and next letters, which are
useful features when browsing through for research.
Figure 9 (left). Image of the panels in three columns.​
Figure 10 (right). Image of the letter title bar and recently viewed letters of the reader.
There are mainly two methods for a search interface. The simple search bar, which is located in the
navigation section and is visible from the first view, is for keywords and numbers.11A wider range of
options is available for the advanced search, with a form provided with checkboxes, free textboxes, and a
help section, designed to meet the specific needs of researchers (figure 11).
Figure 11. Image of the advanced search interface.
10
Three display columns: two of which readers are able to switch among different types of views of their choice, and
the middle column with information of the letter and notes when the reader clicks on the numbered link for
annotations in the texts. Depending on the screen resolution, readers can add additional panels.
11
The simple search results are displayed only when there is an exact match, with case insensitivity applied.
A ew points can be suggested for better usability. One example is when clicking on reference hyperlinks,
the reader is directed to a list of occurrences of that word. However, it doesn’t navigate back to the
original position after clicking the back command which results in getting lost in the pages. It would be
preferable to open the linked content in a new window. In addition, occasionally some pages are
excessively long (e.g., Bibliography sections). Installing a floating menu or chunking some content could
be an alternative to endless scrolling.
Although these shortcomings are minor and particular, considering the long-term sustainability of the
edition, it is uncertain whether it will continue to serve as a viable research resource in its current form for
the next 10 or 20 years.
Quality of the presentation
The images presented are facsimiles of the letters and related artworks, which display high quality. By
clicking on the images of the facsimile, the readers can zoom in so that the pen strokes, handwriting, and
ink bleed-through on the paper are visible (figure 12).
Figure 12. Image of zooming in on a facsimile
Social integration
Integration of the Van Gogh Letters edition with social media and virtual research platforms seems limited.
While the Van Gogh Museum leverages social media for partnerships and audience engagement, the digital
edition currently does not host any kind of platform for social interaction. This may probably be the only
aspect in which this edition does not align with the features of a digital edition as outlined by Patrick
Sahle: “A digital edition is more like a workplace or a laboratory where the user is invited to work with the
texts and documents more actively”. (Sahle, 2016)
Long term use
Vincent van Gogh - The Letters is updated on a yearly basis, mainly by adding annotations and alterations
in translation. In this sense, it is not complete; it is an ongoing process. However, these revisions have
been implemented within the existing framework, and no major software updates or interface
modifications appear to have been undertaken since its initial publication in 2009.
As a possible approach to maintain the sustainability of this digital edition, the intended audience could be
expanded beyond the originally envisioned academics to include a slightly wider audience. For instance, a
renewed version could be created with varying levels of content tailored to the different types of readers, as
defined by Rasmussen; “readers” who seek access to reliable texts, “users” who actively engage with
textual interpretation, and “co-workers” who participate in the editorial process (Rasmussen, 2016). For
the “reader” layer, a curating selection of the most essential letters, with the amount of annotation notes
reduced may be sufficient. For “users” and “co-workers”, a function such as a forum for collaboration and
exchanging ideas could enhance the social side of the edition. In addition, it would be ideal for the
platform to adapt to the evolving web environment, ensuring the continued dissemination of humanities
knowledge dynamically and sustainably.
Rights and licences
Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and Huygens ING hold the copyright for the publication. Any use of the
material, reproduction, or distribution of the content without prior permission is prohibited.12
The XML source files of the letters are available under the license of the Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).13
Conclusion
In conclusion, Vincent van Gogh - The Letters sufficiently qualifies as a scholarly digital edition that
portrays the culmination of 15 years of scholarly efforts and collaborative contributions from
correspondences. It accommodates exhaustive and valuable resources with a detailed critical apparatus,
serving as a platform that impacts a wide range of disciplines. The main purpose of this edition to
critically represent the authenticity of his letters is accomplished. English translation enabled its
accessibility and it has become possible for researchers worldwide to explore the life and artwork of Van
Gogh through the letters.
12
13
From the section of Copyright which is accessible through the very bottom part of any page in the website edition.
From the section of The web edition in About this edition.
For further sustainability as a digital edition, some revisions could be suggested. In terms of interface and
usability, some slight yet potentially stress-inducing functional improvements, as well as updates to
ensure a non-obsolete interface, can contribute to preventing deterioration. To explore its potential to
become a socially integrated platform for scholars to exchange and expand knowledge may be another
option. Such continuous activities could contribute to the progress of Van Gogh studies worldwide.
Bibliography
Buzzoni, Marina. (2016), A Protocol for Scholarly Digital Editions? The Italian Point of View. Edited by
Matthew James Driscoll and Elena Pierazzo, p.59-89. Open Book Publishers, 2016.
DOI:10.11647/OBP.0095.02
Grant, Patrick. (2014), The Letters of Vincent van Gogh: A Critical Study. AU Press, Athabasca
University.
Leo Jansen, Hans Luijten, Nienke Bakker. (eds.) (2009), Vincent van Gogh - The Letters. Version:
[December 2024]. Amsterdam & The Hague: Van Gogh Museum & Huygens ING.
https://vangoghletters.org
Rasmussen, Krista Stinne Greve. (2016), Reading or Using a Digital Edition? Reader Roles in
Scholarly Editions. Edited by Matthew James Driscoll and Elena Pierazzo, p.119-133. Open Book
Publishers, 2016. DOI:10.11647/OBP.0095.02
Sahle, Patrick. (2016), What is a Digital Scholarly Edition?. Digital Scholarly Editing:
Theories and Practice. Edited by Matthew James Driscoll and Elena Pierazzo, p.19-39. Open Book
Publishers, 2016. DOI:10.11647/OBP.0095.02
Sahle, Patrick, Vogeler, Georg, & IDE. (2014). Criteria for reviewing scholarly digital editions
(Version1.1). ​
https://www.i-d-e.de/publikationen/weitereschriften/criteria-version-1-1/#_ftn1
Van Gogh Museum (n.d.), Van Gogh's letters. Retrieved from
https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/art-and-stories/stories/all-stories/van-goghs-letters
Van Gogh, Vincent. (1888), Sunflowers [Painting]. National Gallery.
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/vincent-van-gogh-sunflowers
Van Gogh, Vincent. (1889), The Starry Night [Painting]. Museum of Modern Art.
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79802