This painting was locked up in the yellow house in Arles France after Vincent had cut off his ear on December 23rd until he got out of the hospital in March of 1889. This painting, according to my studies is one of the same that Vincent wrote about in this letter that he wrote on March 24th 1889 to his brother Theo:

My Dear Theo, " I am writing to tell you that I have seen Signac, and It has done me quite a lot of good. he was so good and straightforward and simply when the difficulty of opening the door by force or not presented itself---the police had closed up the house and destroyed the lock. they began by refusing to let us do it, but all the same we finally got in.---------------------------------------Doubtless you had a Hand   in his coming to stiffen my morale a bit, and thank you for it.---------------Altogether there are several canvases to be sent to you, as Signac could see, he was not frightened by my painting as far as I saw. Signac thought,and it is perfectly true, that I looked healthy.---------- In my opinion we must firmly oppose  the loss of furniture, etc... Then-----my Lord-------I must have liberty to carry on my handicraft.

 M. Rey says that instead of eating enough and at regular times, I kept myself going on coffee and alcohol. I admit all that, but all the same it is true that to attain the high yellow note that I attained last summer, I really had to be pretty well keyed up.--------------------------------Oh if nothing had happened to mess up my life!"

Arles,30 April 1889

 My dear Theo, -------------------------------------------":Today I am busy packing a case of pictures and studies. One of them is flaking off and I have stuck some newspaper on it; it is one of the best, and I think that when you look at it you will see better what my now shipwrecked studio might have been. This painting, like some others, has got spoiled by moisture during my illness. the flood water came to within a few feet of the house, and on top of that, the house itself had no fires in it during my absence, so when I came back, the walls were oozing water and saltpeter."------------------------------------