I was born on March 30, 1853 in a small, little-known town called Zundert located in the Netherlands. My father was a clergyman in Zundert as well.
I got an early start in working with art because my uncle worked as a partner in the international firm of picture dealers Goupil and co. In 1869 I went to work at the branch in The Hague. In 1873 I was sent to the London branch of Goupil and Co. Where I unsuccessfully fell in love with the daughter of the landlady. This was my first in what was to be many disastrous attempts to land a wife and in trying so hard to find a wife I began to slack at my work and was fired later that year. I then returned to England in 1876 and assisted unpaid at a local school. This experience sparked a religious yearning inside of me and I went to study to become a minister as my father had. …
