VdB 136 is a reflection nebula in the constellation of the Swan. It is situated in the central-northern part of the constellation, just over 2 ° to the SSW of the brilliant star Deneb. The nebula surrounds the star HD 196819, a red giant of spectral class K2.5IIb having apparent magnitude 7.55. Its distance, measured by a parallax value of 1.30 mas, would be equal to 770 parsecs ( 2510 light years). Given this distance, the star with its nebulosity is found within the complex nebulae of the fissure, a short distance from the North America Nebula. In the same direction, but at a distance of over 1500 parsecs, we find DR 21, one of the nebulous systems associated with the great star-forming region Cygnus X.