Mildly interesting
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When Johanna “Jo” van Gogh married Theo van Gogh, she couldn’t have imagined she’d change art history. Within two years, both her husband and his brother Vincent were gone—one to illness, the other to despair.
Left a widow at 28 with an infant son and hundreds of unsold paintings by a little-known artist, Jo could’ve walked away. Vincent had sold almost nothing during his lifetime. Critics had dismissed him. To most, the paintings were worthless.
But Jo saw more than just canvas and paint—she saw Vincent’s soul in every brushstroke. She read his letters, filled with hope, suffering, and passion, and knew his story had to be told.
She moved back to the Netherlands, ran a boarding house to survive, and began quietly organizing exhibitions. More importantly, she shared the letters between Vincent and Theo—revealing a mind full of brilliance, not madness. Slowly, the world began to listen.
In 1905, Jo curated the first major Van Gogh retrospective in Amsterdam. It changed everything. Critics reevaluated him. Museums began acquiring his work. His name spread far beyond Europe.
Today, Vincent van Gogh is one of the most celebrated artists in history. But it was Jo who made that possible. Her quiet resolve turned obscurity into immortality. Without her, the world may have never seen Starry Night or Sunflowers. Her story reminds us: legacies are often built not just by those who create—but by those who believe.
#WomenInHistory #ArtThatEndures
~Old Photo Club“I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.” ~Winston S. Churchill
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How did Revolutionary War artillerymen know how to fire a cannon? We recently acquired for our collections an example of one of the tools they used: a pair of gunner’s calipers. Engraved with a ruler and specifications on different cannons and shot, calipers helped artillerymen measure the bore of a cannon and diameter of cannonballs, determine the appropriate size shot and amount of gunpowder, and even estimate a gun’s range—for use on both land and sea. This brass example was made in 1776 by Addison Smith of London, England.
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How did Revolutionary War artillerymen know how to fire a cannon? We recently acquired for our collections an example of one of the tools they used: a pair of gunner’s calipers. Engraved with a ruler and specifications on different cannons and shot, calipers helped artillerymen measure the bore of a cannon and diameter of cannonballs, determine the appropriate size shot and amount of gunpowder, and even estimate a gun’s range—for use on both land and sea. This brass example was made in 1776 by Addison Smith of London, England.
@Mik That is quite cool. Kind of like a slide rule or abacus for cannon shooting.
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When Johanna “Jo” van Gogh married Theo van Gogh, she couldn’t have imagined she’d change art history. Within two years, both her husband and his brother Vincent were gone—one to illness, the other to despair.
Left a widow at 28 with an infant son and hundreds of unsold paintings by a little-known artist, Jo could’ve walked away. Vincent had sold almost nothing during his lifetime. Critics had dismissed him. To most, the paintings were worthless.
But Jo saw more than just canvas and paint—she saw Vincent’s soul in every brushstroke. She read his letters, filled with hope, suffering, and passion, and knew his story had to be told.
She moved back to the Netherlands, ran a boarding house to survive, and began quietly organizing exhibitions. More importantly, she shared the letters between Vincent and Theo—revealing a mind full of brilliance, not madness. Slowly, the world began to listen.
In 1905, Jo curated the first major Van Gogh retrospective in Amsterdam. It changed everything. Critics reevaluated him. Museums began acquiring his work. His name spread far beyond Europe.
Today, Vincent van Gogh is one of the most celebrated artists in history. But it was Jo who made that possible. Her quiet resolve turned obscurity into immortality. Without her, the world may have never seen Starry Night or Sunflowers. Her story reminds us: legacies are often built not just by those who create—but by those who believe.
#WomenInHistory #ArtThatEndures
~Old Photo Club -
When Johanna “Jo” van Gogh married Theo van Gogh, she couldn’t have imagined she’d change art history. Within two years, both her husband and his brother Vincent were gone—one to illness, the other to despair.
Left a widow at 28 with an infant son and hundreds of unsold paintings by a little-known artist, Jo could’ve walked away. Vincent had sold almost nothing during his lifetime. Critics had dismissed him. To most, the paintings were worthless.
But Jo saw more than just canvas and paint—she saw Vincent’s soul in every brushstroke. She read his letters, filled with hope, suffering, and passion, and knew his story had to be told.
She moved back to the Netherlands, ran a boarding house to survive, and began quietly organizing exhibitions. More importantly, she shared the letters between Vincent and Theo—revealing a mind full of brilliance, not madness. Slowly, the world began to listen.
In 1905, Jo curated the first major Van Gogh retrospective in Amsterdam. It changed everything. Critics reevaluated him. Museums began acquiring his work. His name spread far beyond Europe.
Today, Vincent van Gogh is one of the most celebrated artists in history. But it was Jo who made that possible. Her quiet resolve turned obscurity into immortality. Without her, the world may have never seen Starry Night or Sunflowers. Her story reminds us: legacies are often built not just by those who create—but by those who believe.
#WomenInHistory #ArtThatEndures
~Old Photo Club@Mik said in Mildly interesting:
I doubt there would be a noticeable difference…
While the story is great, and art is to be celebrated, and some art truly was inspirational and aspirational, I don’t necessarily find Van Gough to be among those pieces. It can certainly be personal and affect people on a small and individual scale but on the macro? I doubt it.
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Yes, I am sure that Canada will be a big decrease.
However, it would have been nice if the graph above was on teh same scale on both sides. For example, the countries on the bottom half, it looks like the tourists decreased as the line goes down, but they actually increased.
