Helvoirt:Vincent visited his parents, who lived in Helvoirt from 1871 to 1875, on church holidays and birthdays. Vincent himself never lived in Helvoirt. He had left the parental home two years earlier and worked at Kunsthandel Goupil, first in The Hague and later in London and Paris. At Christmas or during the vacations, he would visit the rectory. He sketched the reformed church where his father preached. He also made drawings there for Betsy Tersteeg, the daughter of his superior in The Hague. At the age of twenty, Vincent was called to Oisterwijk to draw lots for military service. His father arranged for a replacement, which cost him a lot of money.
