Adeline Ravoux was the innkeeper’s daughter at the Ravoux Inn, where Vincent van Gogh resided during his time in Auvers-sur-Oise, and where he finally died on the 29th July 1890 from a gunshot wound. When he first arrived in Auvers, Vincent’s doctor Paul Gachet had recommended a boarding house that cost twice what Vincent was paying at Ravoux Inn, but he elected to take the cheapest room - the attic room, at the Ravoux.
A photograph of the Ravoux Inn at the time
Vincent created 68 paintings in his 70 days in Auvers, including three of Adeline Ravoux, despite her only posing once. Adeline was one of only four people ever interviewed about Vincent who knew him when he was alive, although her testimony was given 66 years after his death. We used the account given by the 79 year old Adeline as the basis for the character that we created, played by Eleanor Tomlinson.
Our footage alongside Van Gogh’s portrait and our final keyframe.
“This week I’ve done a portrait of a young girl of 16 or so, in blue against a blue background, the daughter of the people where I’m lodging.“
Vincent van Gogh in a letter to his brother Theo. Auvers, 24 June 1890.
In the story of our film, Armand Roulin travels to Auvers after Vincent’s death and he too elects to stay at the Ravoux inn, where he befriends Adeline as she recounts her memories of Vincent’s life and death.
