Was Vincent van Gogh popular while alive?

Considering that Mr. Van Gogh lived to be only 37 years of age, his entire life, by average standards, could be thought of as "early life".

He trifled with a number of careers up to about the age of 27, but didn't really stick with anything. His artwork during those years was dark and somewhat juvenile and, in the opinion of some, did not improve much with age. These would probably be considered his "early years".