Vague

Vague rumors had reached me of a woman from the Far east, a native of Java, wife of an officer,

who had come to Europe, laden with perfumes and jewels, to introduce some of the richness of the

oriental color and life into the satiated society of European cities, of veils encircling and discarded, of the development

of passion as the fruits of the soil, of a burst of fresh free life, of nature in all its

strength untrammeled by civilization. Her olive skin blended with the curious jewels in the

dead gold setting, a cask of worked gold upon her dark

hair, an authentic eastern headdress, a breastplate of similar workmanship beneath the arms.

Above a transparent white robe, a quaint clasp held a scarf around the hips, the ends falling

to the feet in front.

She was enshrouded in various veils of delicate hues,

symbolizing beauty, youth, love, chastity, voluptuousness, and passion.

Francis Kaisner, Paris correspondent for the King magazine, February 4, 1905.

Welcome to the history of the 20th century. Thank you. The

The Oh, and the other, Episode 151, The eye of the day.

Margareta Gertruda Zella was born on August 7, 1876, in Ljofarton, in the Netherlands.

She was the first child and only daughter of Adam and Antia Zella. Her father was a shopkeeper and his family was one of

the wealthiest in town and her father denied his only little girl nothing. When she was six he gave her

a child-sized carriage drawn by two goats, an exorbitant gift for a small child that made her the talk of the town,

not always in a good way among a people noted for their thrift.

But Margueretta apparently enjoyed being the talk of the town,

and this was the beginning of a life dedicated to flamboyance and attention-seeking.

...