Adeline Ravoux and the Auvers Inn
At thirteen, the innkeeper's daughter posed for Van Gogh and observed his daily life. Sixty-six years later, she recounted room n° 5, the painter's habits and the hours following his injured return. His testimony is essential - provided you know its scope and limits.
The witness placeThe facade of the old inn, now Van Gogh's House.
Who was Adeline Ravoux?
Adeline Ravoux was the eldest daughter of Arthur Gustave Ravoux, manager of the Café de la Mairie where Vincent van Gogh stayed in Auvers-sur-Oise. She was thirteen years old in 1890. The painter asked her to pose and produced three portraits, including the famous square version kept at the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Adeline saw Van Gogh go out every day with his equipment, eat meals at the inn and work in the room reserved for artists. On the evening of July 27, she witnessed his return, seriously injured. A large part of what is said about the painter's last two nights, however, comes from the fact that his father, who remained at his bedside, then repeated to her.
L'Auberge Ravoux: an ordinary address that has become a place of memory
A café, restaurant and wine business in the center of Auvers, close to the train station.
A small, sober attic room, chosen in particular for its modest price.
Van Gogh sometimes retouches his paintings there and leaves part of his paintings there.
From the inn, he walks to the town hall, the church, the Oise, the gardens and the fields.
"Mr. Vincent": a calm, regulated life entirely focused on work
Go paint
According to Adeline, Van Gogh eats breakfast then goes out around nine o'clock with easel, color box and pipe. The Musée d'Orsay confirms this morning rhythm in the open air.
Come back for lunch
He comes back regularly for the meal. He eats with the other residents, notably the Dutch painter Anton Hirschig.
Retouch or leave
He works in the painters' room or comes out for several hours. In seventy days, he produced around seventy-four paintings and numerous drawings.
Stay back
Adeline describes him as gentle, calm, polite and uncommunicative. He hardly mixes with cafe customers, but sometimes draws for his little sister Germaine.
The three portraits of Adeline Ravoux
One day in June, Van Gogh asked the teenager if she would agree to pose. After obtaining permission from her parents, he installed her dressed in blue, her hair held back by a blue ribbon. Adeline remembers a unique session, carried out in one afternoon. The painter speaks little and smokes his pipe without interruption.
Van Gogh is not only looking for a photographic resemblance. In Auvers, the portrait is a laboratory for him: square or vertical format, simplified profile, large flat areas and vibrations of blue. He wants to achieve the character of the model through color. In the June 24 letter to Théo, two portraits of Adeline are clearly mentioned; a third version is also known.
Cleveland's version
The face stands out against a nocturnal blue animated by touches. The hair and bodice almost form a luminous appearance. 50.2 × 50.5 cm.
The portrait offered
Adeline appears in profile, calm and restrained. His family keeps a portrait with it Auvers Town Hall before parting with it years later.
A series, not a single image
The differences in framing and background show how Van Gogh transforms the same model into several pictorial solutions, each autonomous.
"Dressed in blue, I was sitting on a chair. A blue ribbon held my hair."Memories of Adeline Ravoux, 1956 - summarized French translation
What Adeline saw, what she heard and what memory reconstructs
Daily life at the hostel
Adeline sees Van Gogh's clothes, his departures with the equipment, his meals, his way of speaking and the posing session. She also observes his injured return and Théo's arrival the next day.
The room at night
His father Arthur Ravoux stayed with the painter for a long time. The words attributed to Van Gogh, the examination of the wound and several details of the night are reported by the father then recorded by the daughter.
Sixty-six years later
Adeline wrote her memories in 1956. She insisted on their fidelity, but any late testimony could mix observation, family repetition and reconstruction. Historians therefore confront him with letters, the stories of Théo, Bernard and the Gachets.
This method does not diminish Adeline: on the contrary, it allows us to better measure the value of her text. His details about Van Gogh's outfit, his schedules, the portrait or the atmosphere of the inn are irreplaceable. On the other hand, his conviction that Doctor Gachet has not returned, or his judgment on the frequency of meals with the doctor, sometimes come into tension with other sources.
Adeline wanted to correct the legends that appeared without consulting witnesses. Her story is therefore also an act of family memory: she defends her father's honesty and restores to the inn a central role in the history of the last days.
The last forty-eight hours, as close as possible to the sources
Tree roots
The Van Gogh Museum considers Van Gogh to be painting Tree roots the morning of July 27. A letter from Andries Bonger mentions undergrowth worked that day. This painting is today the best candidate for the title of last work.
Return to the inn
Van Gogh returns after dark, injured in the chest. He goes up to his room. Arthur Ravoux hears his complaints, discovers the wound and looks for a doctor.
Room n° 5
Doctor Gachet examines and bandages the wound, deemed inoperable. Arthur Ravoux and Anton Hirschig watch over the painter. The exact details of the doctors' succession vary depending on the story.
Theo comes running
Warned by telegram, Théo takes the train from Paris. Adeline remembers her face marked by pain and her hasty arrival from the station. The two brothers stay together.
Death
Van Gogh dies in the inn room, Théo at his side. Adeline gives an hour close to 1 a.m.; the Musée d'Orsay indicates approximately 1 hour 30 minutes.
Funeral
The coffin is surrounded by paintings, greenery, flowers and the artist's materials in the painters' room. Friends, artists and residents accompany him to the Auvers cemetery.
The Ravoux testimony at the center of a contemporary debate
The historical version
Adeline reports that Van Gogh told his father that he tried to kill himself. She also sends a response to the gendarmes in which he asks not to accuse anyone. The letters from Théo and Émile Bernard, as well as the position of the major museums, support the reading of a suicidal gesture.
The Musée d'Orsay recalls previous crises, the fear of a relapse and the growing anxiety readable in the last letters. The Van Gogh Museum places the gesture on the evening of July 27.
The alternative hypothesis
Since 2011, some authors have proposed accidental shooting involving other people. They highlight the absence of an autopsy, the weapon not found at the time and the uncertainty about the precise location. But there is no material evidence to identify a shooter, and this hypothesis has not replaced the museum consensus.
Adeline's story is invoked on both sides: her words are precise, but recorded very late and partly inherited from her father.
Prudent conclusion: the suicidal explanation remains best supported by historical testimonies and museum research. However, the material circumstances have gaps. The article must therefore avoid both the sensationalism of a "solved murder" and the illusion of a complete forensic record.
From intimate space to the first posthumous exhibition
The room is tiny: an attic volume, lit by a skylight, without the appearance of a "master's studio". Van Gogh sleeps there and retains his effects, but works mainly outside and in the room made available to painters.
After his death, the body went down to this room. Adeline remembers paintings arranged around the coffin - in particular The Auvers Church, irises and The Daubigny Garden - as well as the palette and brushes placed at his feet. Even before retrospectives and museums, the inn thus became the place for a first gathering of his work.
Visit the Auberge Ravoux and follow Van Gogh into Auvers
House of Van Gogh
Address: 52 -56 rue du Général-de-Gaulle, place de la Mairie, 95430 Auvers-sur-Oise. The visit leads in particular to the attic room and an audiovisual space.
Official websiteA walking route
Start with the inn and the town hall, then reach the church, the painted streets, rue Daubigny and finally the cemetery. The distances remain accessible on foot, but the climb to the heights is noticeable.
See all his housesBefore leaving
Opening days, times, guided tours and access conditions vary depending on the season. Always check the official ticket office before traveling.
Visit the tombsTip: the place is narrow and full of memory. A reservation can be useful during busy periods. Also check accessibility directly with the site.
Auvers, portraits and landscapes by Van Gogh
Adeline Ravoux, Van Gogh and the Auvers Inn
How old was Adeline Ravoux in 1890?
She was thirteen years old. Van Gogh sometimes believed or described her as older, as she appeared to be around sixteen years old.
How many portraits of Ravoux Van Gogh did he paint?
Three portraits of Adeline are known. Two are explicitly linked to the letter of June 24, 1890; Adeline also mentions a third version.
Where is the portrait of Adeline Ravoux?
The famous square version is kept at the Cleveland Museum of Art. The other versions belong to private collections.
Has Adeline seen Van Gogh paint her portrait?
Yes. She posed in one session, dressed in blue and wearing a blue ribbon. She remembered a silent painter, smoking his pipe.
How long did Van Gogh live at Auberge Ravoux?
He settled in Auvers on May 20, 1890 and died on July 29, a stay of seventy days.
What room was Van Gogh staying in?
Bedroom n° 5, a small attic room on the top floor of the hostel.
Was Van Gogh painting in his room?
He mainly painted outside and sometimes retouched the canvases in the artists' room. The bedroom was mainly used for sleeping.
Did Adeline witness Van Gogh's death?
She saw some of the events, including her injured return and Theo's arrival. She did not stay in the room throughout the agony; his father gave him many details.
What is Van Gogh's last painting?
The Van Gogh Museum considers today Tree roots, painted on the morning of July 27, as his last work. Wheat field with crows so probably not the last painting.
Did Van Gogh commit suicide or was he injured by anyone?
The consensus of major museums and historical accounts support suicide. A hypothesis of accidental shooting has been proposed, but it remains unproven.
Can Auberge Ravoux be visited?
Yes, under the name Van Gogh's House. Hours are seasonal: you must consult the official website and book if necessary.
What else to see in Auvers-sur-Oise?
The town hall, the church, Doctor Gachet's house, Daubigny's garden, the landscapes of the heights and the tombs of Vincent and Théo.
Documents, letters and museum research
- Vincent van Gogh, letter 891 to Théo, June 24, 1890 - portraits of Adeline.
- Letter 896, July 2, 1890 - life in Auvers and possibility of staying at the inn.
- Letter 902, July 23, 1890 - last letter sent to Théo.
- Letter RM25, unfinished draft of July 23, 1890.
- Adeline Ravoux, memories of the stay in Auvers, 1956.
- Musée d'Orsay, Van Gogh in Auvers-sur-Oise - timeline and latest works.
- Musée d'Orsay, interview with the curators - Adeline and the sociability of the painter.
- Van Gogh Museum, texts from the Auvers exhibition . Tree roots and death.
- Van Gogh's house - Auberge Ravoux, official visit information.
- Cleveland Museum of Art, Adeline Ravoux, collection notice.
- The tomb of Vincent and Théo van Gogh, Alpha Reproduction guide.
- Van Gogh's houses, Alpha Reproduction guide.
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