Chapter 20: Wounded Angel

1.       The show was Jules Verne’s Michel Strogoff at the Théâtre du Chatelet, January 1888. Interview with Gabrielle’s grandson.

2.       Letter 743, Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh, 28 January 1889 (VGM).

3.       Ibid.

4.       Émile Bernard to Albert Aurier, 1 January 1889, Rewald Folder.

5.       Letter FR B1066, Joseph Roulin to Theo van Gogh, 28 December 1888; and Letter FR B1046, Reverend Salles to Theo van Gogh, 7 February 1889 (VGM).

6.       Letter FR B1057, Félix Rey to Theo van Gogh, 12 February 1889 (VGM). Augustine Roulin left Arles sometime before 25 February 1889. Vincent mentions her departure in Letter 748, Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh, 25 February 1889 (VGM).

7.       Cote: J43 Maisons de Tolérance (ACA).

8.       Often erroneously attributed to Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769–1852), this quote actually came from Irish political leader Dónall Ó Conaill (Daniel O’Connell, 1775–1847) in 1843. The comment ‘Being born in a stable does not make a man a horse’ was made about the famous general, who was born in Ireland. Dónall Ó Conaill, in a speech of 16 October 1843. Reported in Shaw’s Authenticated Report of the Irish State Trials, 1844, p. 93.

9.       Laure Adler, La Vie Quotidienne Dans Les Maisons Closes 1830–1930 (Hachette, Paris: 1990).

10.     Leprohon, Vincent van Gogh, p. 355.

11.     Le Petit Provençal, 25 December 1888.

12.     Doiteau and Leroy, ‘Vincent van Gogh et le drame de l’oreille coupée’.

13.     Institut Pasteur, 1888 (Archives Institut Pasteur).

14.     Dr Louis Pasteur, French scientist (1888–1911). The first treatment using the rabies vaccine was for a young boy called Joseph Meister on 6 July 1885 (Archives Institut Pasteur).

15.     Dr Michel Arnaud (1859–?) listed as living at 14, rue Rampe du Pont. Cote: K38, Listes Electorales 1888 (ACA). The shepherd who shot the dog was called Moreau (Archives Institut Pasteur).

16.     Cauterisation could either be with a red-hot iron bar or, if available, carbolic acid (phenol). Gabrielle’s medical records state that she was ‘cautérisée au thermocauteré’, using heat (Archives Institut Pasteur).

17.     There were two trains that Gabrielle could have taken: the direct train no. 46, which left Arles at 00.19 a.m. on 9 January 1888 and arrived in Paris at 11.16 p. m. the same day and took 1st, 2nd and 3rd class passengers, or the express train no. 12, which left at 1.04 a.m. and arrived earlier at 5.40 p.m. This train only took first class passengers. Her grandson told me that she had arrived around 5 p.m. Bearing in mind the urgency of the situation it’s most likely her family ensured that she take the quickest, yet more expensive train. Interview with Gabrielle’s grandson, 26 June 2010 and PLM winter train timetable 1887–88 (SNCF archives, Le Mans).

18.     The Institut Pasteur building was opened in its present location at 25–28 rue du Docteur Roux (previously named rue Dutot) on 24 November 1888 (Archives Institut Pasteur).

19.     This virus of the nervous system was extracted from infected rabbit brains – rather than infected dogs as it was too virulent – then a solution was made up from specially dried rabbit spinal cord sections which were injected into the patient. It was important to have fresh supplies of this spinal-cord solution as Gabrielle’s medical records show (Archives Institut Pasteur).

20.     Interview with Gabrielle’s grandson, June 2010.

21.     Interview with Gabrielle’s family, March 2015.

22.     Le Forum Républicain, 30 December 1888; and Le Petit Provençal, 25 December 1888.

23.     See Letters 638, Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh, 10 July 1888 and Letter 780, Vincent van Gogh to Willemein van Gogh, 10 June 1888 (VGM).