Maps of U.S. Newspaper Articles That Were Published Immediately Following Mata Hari's Execution, Oct. 15/16, 1917
Map 1.
Utilizing the Library of Congress Chronicling America, this map offers a visual spread of the number of newspaper articles that reported on Mata Hari’s execution in the database. Mata Hari was executed on October 15, 1917, the newspaper articles used for this map were articles that reported her death the day of and the following day. By clicking on each newspaper icon the name of the newspaper company and the date. From this map it is evident that the LOC database has more newspapers from the east coast of the United States archived, than the west coast. More than twenty different newspaper companies published a story pertaining to Mata Hari’s death and the Evening Star in Washington D.C. reported her death on both the 15th and the 16th. According to the online archive, 123 newspaper articles mentioned Mata Hari in 1917, out of those articles, nearly twenty percent of them were published on the 15th and 16th of October to cover the news of her execution. Although, this data does not incorporate every article written of her on these days, the trend of her in the media following her death is evident and was wide spread across the United States. This data serves as a sample for the mass coverage of her death in the U.S. media, which displays the entrance of Mata Hari into the popular culture of America. Not only was she reported on in the states, she was an important enough figure in the war to be reported on in the Alaska territory.
Unfortunately, an untimely execution under circumstantial evidence was the climax of her life. Subsequent mythologization and romanticism in the media propelled her into an infamous figure in popular culture. Her life story has been shrouded in mystery and fabrication, yet her memory lives primarily as a warning about female seduction and corresponding male demise. For most of her posthumous career, Mata Hari has been villainized and perceived as a nefarious woman. From a cautionary tale born out of the state’s desire to compel women to conform in ways of purity and obedience to the false propaganda about Germany’s recruitment of thousands of women to spy or spread disease, Mata Hari was used to vilify “undesirable” women. Her lived experience was used to invoke distrust between genders as men left for war and women took on greater responsibilities in the work force. Mata Hari was presented as a threat to American womanhood, motherhood, and patriotism. Juxtaposed with the media’s depictions of English hero nurse Edith Cavell for example, Mata Hari’s alleged espionage and sexual allure served to heighten the anxieties of Americans, just as fears of venereal disease and of the corruption of servicemen ran rampant. 1917 brought Mata Hari’s demise to the hands of the U.S. media who portrayed her in various ways. These depictions reflected larger issues of America including politics of gender, society, war, and culture.
Map 2.
This map is the same as above, however with a larger sample. For this map almost eighty newspaper articles were consulted in two newspaper databases, Newspapers.com by Ancestry and The LOC Chronicling America. All newspaper articles were published on October 15, 1917 and covered Mata Hari’s execution. This map contributes to Map 1 and offers a larger spread and frequency of the reportage on her death in the U.S. media. Mata Hari did not become a household name in the U.S. until after her death. It is evident that Mata Hari’s death was a significant event for the U.S. media to inform its readers. In this data sample, the most newspaper articles come from the east coast as well. The media took the opportunity to manipulate her story and the malleability of her life story correlates with deeper political, social and cultural tropes and trends. Some deeper insights include social attitudes in navigating women’s roles and norms during war and amidst of women’s progression. U.S. media portrayals of Mata Hari also invoked distrust among Americans against non-natives, women, and the Central powers demonstrating the social and political climate of the U.S. during the war. These connections were rooted in the emphasis and controversy surrounding the media’s coverage of her, following her death.