Behind the Veils: Revealing Mata Hari by Rebekah Villon
Part 3: The Toast of Paris
years in Java, Margreet returned to the Netherlands as a divorcee,
The life of Mata Hari is shrouded
living in poverty while her husband kept custody of her daughter.
in mystery. There are competing and contradictory stories, and
After the dissolution of her marriage, Margreet moved to Paris.
everyone,
Margreet
Although it pained her to be so far from her daughter, she could not
herself, has different motives
support her, and her ex-husband used every scandal and accusation
for misrepresenting the truth.
from her life as a reason to keep her from her child. She was fluent in
My approach has been to sift
French (among other languages), and it's likely that she was working as
through these different stories
a prostitute and wanted to avoid more rumors and scandal reaching
and present the version that I
her family.
including
find most probable, but there are truths and facts that we may
Like a Shooting Star
never fully understand.
In
1903,
unconventional
dancers
like
Isadora
Duncan
were
revolutionizing dance performance in Europe, moving from the drawing This is part three of a six-part
rooms and salons to centerstage and international fame. Margreet,
series exploring the life, loves,
who was working as an artist's model and circus performer under her
and legacy of the legendary Mata
married name of MacLeod, was likely inspired by these stories. When
Hari, born Margaretha Geertruida
she was invited to dance in a salon, she seized the opportunity, and
Zelle. In previous issues, we
quickly gained fame as an exotic dancer.
covered her tragic youth, a deeply troubled marriage, and
For her performances, Margreet adopted her Javanese nickname:
the loss of a child. After several
Mata Hari. She wore incredible costumes with elaborate head-
