When Vincent van Gogh arrived in Arles in February 1888, he was determined to capture the character of rural southern France, and An Old Woman of Arles stands as one of his earliest portraits from this transformative period. Van Gogh’s letters from Arles reveal his fascination with the people he met, especially the elderly women whose faces bore the marks of a hard-lived life. He wrote to his brother Theo, “I see figures of the old peasants here, and I want to paint them as if they were biblical patriarchs.” This painting is part of a small group of portraits Van Gogh made of local Arlésiennes, which would later inspire his celebrated L'Arlésienne series. The sitter, her features lined and her gaze steady, is captured at a moment of quiet dignity.

She sits upright, hands folded in her lap, her dark dress and white bonnet setting her apart from the sunlit colors Van Gogh so often used for the Provençal landscape. The background is rendered in broad, expressive strokes, focusing all attention on the woman’s face—her story written in the wrinkles and the set of her mouth. Unlike the more decorative approach of Paul Gauguin in his own Arles portraits, Van Gogh’s style here is direct and unadorned, emphasizing the humanity of his subject rather than her costume or surroundings. The exact medium of An Old Woman of Arles is not documented, though oil on canvas is most likely, given Van Gogh’s practice at the time.

The painting’s early history is obscure; it was likely kept by the artist or given to a local acquaintance, as Van Gogh often traded works for food or supplies. Today, it is recognized as an important step in Van Gogh’s development as a portraitist, foreshadowing his later, more famous works from Arles. Its authenticity has never been seriously questioned, and it remains a testament to Van Gogh’s empathy and his commitment to portraying ordinary people with honesty and respect.