Bold ink signature and sentiment, in French, dated January 10, 1907, on an off-white 5.5 x 8.75 sheet of Hotel Bristol stationery. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope, addressed in Mata Hari’s hand to Lieutenant Oscar Tofer. Intersecting folds (several extra vertical folds to center), and pooling of ink to several letters, otherwise fine condition.
When it comes to spies of the female persuasion, no name leaps to mind quicker than Mata Hari. Moving to Paris following a failed marriage, she entertained “select” clientele with her erotic dances—before attending a German espionage school in 1907: the very year she signed this sheet. The stationery here is quite telling, as Mata Hari would have rubbed elbows with some elite Parisian company at the establishment. The famous hotel was a centrally located spot for tourists, especially American tourists and visiting European royalty, located just a few blocks from the Jardin des Tuilleries and the Champs-Elysees. Her “companionship” with Allied officers secured key military facts that were then supplied to Axis forces in World War I. It begs the question: was Lieutenant Oscar Tofer one unwitting victim of Mata Hari’s early espionage career? Pre-certified PSA/DNA and RRAuction COA.
