Description
Autograph letter (unsigned), four pages (on two conjoined sheets - missing the last page), 5,5 x 8,5 inch, `Victoria Hotel - Amsterdam`* stationery, dated only "Saturday evening" - likely circa late December 1914 (the show in Arnhem took place on December 18, 1914), in Dutch (partly French), to the young, and then unknown artist Piet van der Hem - with intriguing content describing the Dutch vs. French reaction to her dancing, and the "angry journalists" who called out a faux pas she made while dancing, written in dark ink, with a horizontal letter fold, scattered mild stains, and chipping to a lower corner - in fine condition.
Translated:
"Saturday evening
My dear Piet,
I don`t mind your late writing at all. I myself was away almost the whole week.
Yesterday I danced in Arnheim with a lot, really a lot of success, but the public there is very aristocratic, liking serious, gracious dancing. Here is different. They are people who have never seen anything. They all think ugly things that come from abroad. Fortunately for me, I dance here out of amusement and to maintain suppleness. I am not looking for money here and also not to make a name. When you have Paris and Vienna etc. like me; then the Dutch can not do me much harm.
And then, people are so jealous here, and so angry in Arnheim is that completely different.
I dance again Sunday in The Hague and Tuesday in Amsterdam.
Yes. I had a faux pass in The Hague. The carpet was laid very nicely over a hole, in which the scenes are usually fixed. And I just put my foot on it. It was a `second` But the angry journalists took it as true to write about. Foul people. Go away!
I had a lot of flowers from my known and unknown friends.
Your drawing is at Coupil, but then me" [the rest of the letter is lost]
* Mata Hari was living at the Victoria Hotel in Amsterdam, after fleeing Berlin at the start of the war. She was supposedly working for French intelligence, but was later exposed as a double agent, passing information to the Germans. She was arrested in her Paris hotel room on February 13, 1917, put on trial the following July, and executed by firing squad on October 15, 1917. The question of her covert activities remained a mystery until 1970s, when classified documents unsealed in Germany revealed that she was indeed spying for the German Empire.
Further Information on the person
Profession:
(1876-1917) Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I.
Year of Birth: 1876
Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod, better known by her stage name Mata Hari, was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy during World War I.
Born on August 7, 1876 in Leeuwarden, Netherlands, Mata Hari was one of the most famous dancers of her time, known for her seductive performances and provocative style.
She began her career as a circus horse rider before moving to Paris and reinventing herself as an exotic dancer, adopting the name Mata Hari which means "eye of the day" in Malay.
During World War I, Mata Hari was accused of spying for Germany and France, passing on classified information to the enemy. Despite maintaining her innocence, she was arrested in 1917 and put on trial.
After a highly publicized trial, Mata Hari was found guilty of espionage and sentenced to death by firing squad. She was executed on October 15, 1917 at the age of 41.
To this day, Mata Hari's true allegiance and motives remain a subject of debate among historians and scholars, with some believing she was a victim of political intrigue and others viewing her as a traitor.
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