Nice Piece of History with an Outside Toilet!

Hackford House in London where Van Gogh lived.

I am a big fan of Vincent Van Gogh so when I read that the London boarding house where he lived from 1873 to 1874 was sold at auction I just had to know more. It seems there was not much in Vincent’s life without drama, and the year he spent living on the top floor of the three-bedroom Victorian on Hackford Road at age 20 was no exception. He earned a nice income working for art dealers on Southampton Street, had outings with friends and wrote cheerful letters to his brother, Theo. It's also where he experienced his first crushing heartbreak. 

Before delving into Vincent's romance, a little bit about the house. As you can imagine, it sold very quickly at auction for over half a million dollars. I would have loved to own that piece of history but I’m afraid the few bucks I offered as a down payment were politely rejected. I tried to sweeten the deal by throwing in photos of my beautiful dogs, along with a lifetime supply of chocolate, but alas, no deal. Perhaps I should have offered dark chocolate!

The property at 87 Hackford Road on the south side of the Thames River was once in a fashionable district but has since gone downhill. The house is in need of repair and has certainly seen better days, but it still retains the original cast iron fireplaces and an ever-so-handy outside toilet!! (If I owed the place, I’d decorate that outside toilet with both Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” and “Landscape Under a Stormy Sky,” very fitting, I think!)

There’s an English Heritage blue plaque on the outside of the house honoring the artist. According to letters he sent to his brother, Theo, Vincent spent some of his happiest days at Hackford House. He loved that house so much he even made a sketch of it.  

Van Gogh’s sketch of the Hackford House

Young Vincent Van Gogh

Vincent was a starry-eyed romantic and this house is where the 20-year-old artist fell deeply and hopelessly in love for the first time. He was smitten with the landlady’s 19-year-old daughter, Eugenie Loyer. He offered her a passionate marriage proposal but she declined. Some say Van Gogh’s subsequent mental breakdown can be traced back to the heart-wrenching rejection of his tender love for Eugenie. (Well, at least he kept his ears at this point!)

Perhaps Van Gogh was too intense for Eugenie. Can you imagine the guy out on a date sitting at a café...“Those flowers on the table are not brilliant enough. Hand me my paints, I’ll fix that!” Or strolling along under the stars at night…“My dear, these stars are much too pale. Where’s my canvass? I shall paint a truly starry night befitting your beauty!” "Oh Vincent," Eugenie may have said, "I only wanted a nice stroll along the Thames and a cup of tea."

Eugenie Loyer

I searched but was unable to find any sketches or paintings Vincent had done of Eugenie. But I am certain he sketched or painted his love. How could he not? The guy was full of emotion and young love! Perhaps he tore them up or painted over the canvass, unable to bear the heartbreak. Ever the romantic! We may never know.

Vincent eventually moved away, paintbrushes in hand and both ears intact. Ah, the pain of unrequited love! But he went on to do some of his best work. Brilliant, talented, sensitive, and perhaps mentally unstable, Vincent Van Gogh has left us beautiful, vibrant artwork, and a life so full of emotion and drama that you can write endless tales about him. Thank you, Vincent! I hope the new owner of your London home will honor your memory, fix it up and turn it into a museum for art lovers. I’d like to suggest a space dedicated to young, aspiring artists, like Vincent was when he lived there. And I will gladly visit and bring the chocolate!

Video tour of the Hackford house before it went on auction. Shows the top floor where Vincent lived, the garden and outside toilet.

© 2012 JerseyLil’s 2 Cents.