Vincent van Gogh was born to a well-to-do family in the Netherlands in 1853. In his lifelong search for employment and fame he travelled across Europe, from Ramsgate in England, to Arles in the South of France.

At the age of 20, Vincent moved to England to work at the London branch of the international art dealers Goupil & Cie. This is his first known address, in the London suburb of Stockwell.

In 1875, after being sacked by Goupil, Vincent returned briefly to his parents' house. However, he quickly found work as an assistant teacher at William Stokes' boarding school in Ramsgate, on the southern English coast - marked here with a blue plaque.

Vincent hadn't yet decided to become an artist, but on the 31 May 1876, he sent his brother Theo a quick sketch of this road.

By 1878, Vincent had moved between several towns, struggling to find work. He was now living in the mining village of Wasmes, Belgium, working as a preacher. In April 1879, wanting to learn about the miners' lives, he visited the Marcasse coal mine, seen here.

By 1881, Vincent was once again unemployed, but he had decided to become an artist. He moved back into his parents' house in Etten, The Netherlands, and started teaching himself the principles of drawing, taking the local landscape and peasants as his subjects.

Vincent's parents moved to the parsonage at Nuenen in 1882. In December 1883, Vincent followed them, staying there until November 1885.

Vincent was developing his artistic practice, and painted this picture of his parents' house in 1885.

He continued to make paintings of the local peasants, and in 1885 completed his first major work, The Potato Eaters. The style of this domestic scene is far from the post-Impressionist landscapes he would later become famous for.

In 1886, Vincent moved into his brother Theo's Parisian apartment on the third floor of this Montmarte building. Theo was a successful art dealer, and supported Vincent financially and professionally.

At the time, the area of Montmarte was filled with many small allotments and working windmills, such as the Moulin de la Galette. This mill served fresh bread as well as wine, and was a popular hangout for artists.