Vincent van Gogh: A Timeline
1853
March 30. Vincent van Gogh born at Groot-Zundert in the Dutch province of Brabant, on the Belgian frontier. He is the eldest surviving child of Theodorus van Gogh, the minister of the town, and Anna Carbentus.
1857
May 1. Theo van Gogh born.
1861
First attends the village school.
1869
July 30. Joins the firm of Goupil and Co., art dealers in The Hague.
1873
May. Joins the London branch of Goupil, at a salary of £90 a year.
1874
August. Proposes to Eugenie Loyer, the daughter of his London landlady, and is rejected by her.
November. Transferred temporarily to the Paris branch of Goupil. Returns to the London branch early the next year.
1875
May. Sent back to the head office of Goupil in Paris, where he does not fit in. Involved in religious mysticism and intense Bible study.