#postman roulin

La Mousmé was painted by Vincent van Gogh in Arles in 1888. In the story of Loving Vincent, we meet her inside another one of Van Gogh’s famous paintings, The Night Café.

Mousmé was a term for a young Japanese Geisha girl described in the popular novel Madame Chrysanthème, published the same year. The model sitting for the portrait was most likely a respectable young female relative of Vincent’s house-keeper, however in naming the painting La Mousmé, Vincent was hinting at something more sensual. This is reinforced by the fact she is holding an Oleander flower, a symbol of beguiling seduction.

Van Gogh aficionados will notice that she sits in the same chair that Vincent painted Joseph Roulin in for his first portrait of the postman, another important character in Loving Vincent.

Van Gogh’s La Mousmé and Portrait of the Postman Roulin

For the film, it was important that the background behind La Mousmé was the same as in Vincent’s portrait, so the end wall of Vincent’s Night Café had to be designed so that there was a hint of blue behind her.

La Mousmé in Loving Vincent

La Mousmé was played by Holly Earl, a keen painter herself, in our live action reference footage - here she is on set discussing the film

In Loving Vincent, Postman Joseph Roulin is a key character. He is the father of Armand Roulin, sending Armand on his quest to deliver a letter, and find out what really happened to Van Gogh.

“I feel absolutely calm and in a normal state. That’s what he writes me, six weeks before he is dead. How does a man go from being absolutely calm to suicidal in six weeks?”

Postman Roulin was Vincent van Gogh’s closest friend in Arles, unsurprising as Vincent was such a keen letter writer, and the two often drank together. Vincent painted 23 paintings of the various members of the Roulin family, including six paintings of Joseph Roulin, always in his Postman’s uniform and hat. He painted more portraits of Postman Roulin than of any other person, other than himself. Vincent described him in a letter to his brother Theo:

“Now I’m working with another model, a postman in a blue uniform with gold trimmings, a big, bearded face, very Socratic. A raging republican, like Père Tanguy. A more interesting man than many people. Vincent van Gogh in a letter to Theo van Gogh, Arles, 31 July 1888.

‘Portrait of Postman Roulin’ and our final keyframe We chose Van Gogh’s yellow Portrait of Postman Roulin for the basis of his character in the film because then we could set his argument with Armand in the famous Café Terrace at Night.

After the incident with the ear, Postman Roulin was there at Vincent’s ‘Yellow House’ the next day, and was one of the only Arles residents who stood by him afterwards. It was Roulin who cleared up his house, took him out of hospital, and was a pillar of strength for Vincent. Shortly after this, Roulin was assigned to work in Marseille, but they still exchanged many letters. “Mr Vincent, please accept the sincere regards of all my family as well as those of him who declares himself your truly devoted friend.” Postman Joseph Roulin in a letter to Vincent van Gogh, Marseille, 24 October 1889.