Agostina Segatori in the Café du Tambourin, 1887
Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)
Oil on Canvas, 55.5 x 46.5 cm
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
(Vincent van Gogh Stichting)
F 370

A strikingly-dressed woman is shown seated at a small table, smoking a cigarette and staring into space. The tambourine-shaped tables and bar-stools tell us that she is in the Café du Tambourin on the Boulevard de Clichy. The woman depicted is probably Agostina Segatori, the owner of this café frequented by Van Gogh and his friends. The artist paid for his meals with flower still lifes, which were then hung on the walls. It was here that Van Gogh?s paintings were seen by the public for the first time.

Vincent may have had an affair with SÀLa Segatori?, an Italian by birth, although this is by no means certain. Some of the letters seem to indicate that they were more than just friends.