The Seamstress

Vincent van Gogh (in circa 1881-1882)

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Elizabeth Kinney asked

How did Vincent know this woman?
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen answered

Dear Elizabeth,

The woman depicted in this drawing is Clasina Maria Hoornik, also known as "Sien." She was a seamstress and a prostitute, and Vincent met her as a pregnant, homeless single parent in The Hague, 1882, probably January. Vincent wrote about his first meeting with Sien in one of his letters to his brother Theo: "Last winter I met a pregnant woman, deserted by the man whose child she was carrying. A pregnant woman who walked the streets in the winter--she had her bread to earn, you'll know how. I took that woman on as a model and have worked with her all winter" (Letter 224). Based on this letter, it is unclear how they met exactly.

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Specifications

Title	The Seamstress
Material and technique	Pencil and black chalk, stumped, brush and black paint, brush and brown ink (irongall), grey wash, heightened with white bodycolour
Object type	Drawing > Two-dimensional object > Art object
Location	This object is in storage

Dimensions	Height 532 mm Width 376 mm
Artists	Draughtsman: Vincent van Gogh
Accession number	MB 1949/T 6 (PK)
Credits	Purchased 1949
Department	Drawings & Prints
Acquisition date	1949
Creation date	in circa 1881-1882
Internal exhibitions	Nederlandse tekeningen uit de negentiende eeuw 2: 1850-1900 (1995)
External exhibitions	The Real Van Gogh: The Artist and His Letters (2010) Boijmans bij de Buren - Meesterlijk! (2019)
Material	Brown ink > Ink > Artist's material > Material > Material and technique Paintbrush > Artist's material > Material > Material and technique Paper > Vegetable material > Organic material > Material > Material and technique Oak gall ink > Ink > Artist's material > Material > Material and technique Paint > Artist's material > Material > Material and technique Black chalk > Chalk > Artist's material > Material > Material and technique Bodycolour > Gouache > Paint > Artist's material > Material > Material and technique Bodycolour > Gouache > Paint > Artist's material > Material > Material and technique Pencil > Artist's material > Material > Material and technique
Object	Drawing > Two-dimensional object > Art object
Technique	Blending > Blended > Drawing technique > Technique > Material and technique Blending > Blended > Drawing technique > Technique > Material and technique Grey wash > Washing > Wash > Drawing technique > Technique > Material and technique Heightened with white > Drawing technique > Technique > Material and technique
Geographical origin	The Netherlands > Western Europe > Europe

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