In 1905 a woman claiming to be a Javanese temple dancer rocketed to fame in Europe. Her name was Mata Hari and her nearly-nude dances were presented as profound religious experiences. But, Mata Hari was selling a fantasy. She was actually a Dutch woman born Margaretha Zelle. Her real origins were considerably less glamorous than the fiction she presented on stage. If there is anything more surprising than Mata Hari’s meteoric rise, it’s her tragic fall. In 1917 Margaretha Zelle would be executed by a firing squad after being found guilty of espionage against France. How was this exotic dancer roped into the high stakes world of wartime espionage? Was she really guilty of the crimes they accused her of? Tune-in and find out how a goat wagon, a trick rider, and yet another fake Asian all play a role in the story.

Works Cited

Craig, Mary W. A Tangled Web: Mata Hari: Dancer, Courtesan, Spy. The History Press, 2018.

Hanson, Helen, and Catherine O’Rawe, editors. Femme Fatale: Images, Histories, Contexts. Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.

Keay, Julia. The Spy Who Never Was: The Life and Loves of Mata Hari. Isis Large Print, 1989.

Shipman, Pat. Femme Fatale: Love, Lies, and the Unknown Life of Mata Hari. Phoenix, 2008.

Wheelwright, Julie. Fatal Lover: Mata Hari and the Myth of Women in Espionage. Collins & Brown, 1993.