Worn Out, 1881
Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)
Pencil on watercolour paper, 50 x 32 cm
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Stichting)
F 997

‘How handsome such an old bald-headed workman in his patched bombazine suit can be’, Van Gogh wrote to his brother on 24 November 1882, with reference to this drawing. The old workman was Adrianus Zuyderland, resident of the Dutch Protestant Almshouse for Old Men and Women. In return for a small payment, various residents of the almshouse regularly spent a morning or afternoon posing for Van Gogh.