Noodler’s Mata Hari’s Cordial

[Yazeh]

This is truly one of the classiest inks, I’ve ever used. Noodler's has a knack for this type of shades. Such a pleasure to write with, lovely, elegant, well behaved.
I don’t why this colour was used to commemorate the fabled Mata Hari. I doubt this vintage cocktail named after her, will turn into this shade of burgundy.



A bit about Mata Hari:
She was born Margaretha Geertruida Zelle in Netherlands 7 August 1876 . Her father at one point was very rich but lost all his money. He was also a mythomaniac. Mata Hari, married a brutish soldier and went to the Dutch West Indies. Her husband was violent and womanizer. She divorced her husband after the death of her son, and though she gained custody of her daughter, she had to abandon her to him as she had no money. In Europe she became, an exotic dancer, a courtesan, creating a persona and constantly changing her biography, a trait inherited from her father. Her nickname was given by a friend, which means “eye of the day,” in Malay.


Photo curtsey of Wikipedia

She had many lovers, a penchant for men in uniform. At the onslaught of WWI, she was recruited by both the Germans and French as a spy. While she’s the inspiration of many a Bond girl, she was inept in the art of spying, unlike the famed Josephine Baker. In 1917, she was used as a scapegoat by the French government and executed by firing squad in October, 15, 1917, after 6 months of deliberation. She was 41,

Several films have made about her, notably one with Greta Garbo and a French one with Jeanne Moreau.
You can read more about her, here:
https://www.friesmuseum.nl/en/collec...cons/mata-hari

Or see this documentary:


Now the ink. Lets start with the Chroma:
chroma 1.jpg
This is delicious burgundy, very well behaved and joy to write with. While it’s advertised as fluorescent ink, I didn’t see any reaction to UV light.
Writing samples:
(All quotes are by Mata Hari)
Dry time varies depending the pen paper. I was a bit lazy, using the Kanwrite, which is very wet, and was slightly primed. Note the different dry times.
TR68gr.jpeg
Midori.jpeg

Note how the ink in a primed feed, turns black.
Rhodia.jpg
The following poem is from the Song of Songs, translated by Chana & Ariel Bloch, with a fude nib.
fude.jpeg
Photo
142446B6-D53A-4D29-9E97-0DA59124C0CD_1_201_a.jpg
Hammermill 20lb copy paper. Back
Ghosting is minimal
Hammermill Back.jpg


Watertest:
It seems this time I put the right side under-running water.
The excess ink will remove, as you can see, but your document remain legible.
Watertest.jpeg
Comparaison:
Comparaison.jpg

And finally a little sketch, of a cat in uniform in homage to Mata Hari.
Sketc.jpg


· Pens used: Pilot Kakuna(Ef/Stub) Lamy Safari (Ef/F/M/B), Kanwrite Ultraflex, Jinhao 450 fude nib
· What I liked: Well lubricated, classy, fast dry times, lovely in all pens.
· What I did not like: Nothing much. Maybe I can grumble and say, it's water-resistant but not 100% waterproof.
· What some might not like: Possible of staining transparent sections, the name
· Shading: Yes, especially with wider nibs.
· Ghosting: Faint
· Bleed through: None
· Flow Rate: Nice.
· Lubrication: Excellent
· Nib Dry-out: None.
· Start-up: None
· Saturation: Dark
· Shading Potential: Depending nibs.
· Sheen: None.
· Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: None
· Nib Creep / “Crud”: Nope.
· Staining (pen): Possible
· Clogging: No.
· Cleaning: Normally, this shade of colour is difficult to clean, so having ink cleaning solution is always handy. Pilot Kakuna was very easy, as I could disassemble it, and Q-tip the heck out of it. Lamy needed an overnight soak and a bit more coaxing with the solution. With all permanent inks, the more the ink remains in the pen, the more time consuming it is to clean.
· Water resistance: It's not waterproof, like the Polar series. A bit of excess ink will be removed.
· Availability: 90 ml bottles / 3 Oz bottles

Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier

[LizEF]

Thanks for the thorough review, Yazeh! And for the dignified kitty sketch. Not sure about the ink color, but the shading is lovely, and it's nice to know it's well-behaved.

[Yazeh]

Thanks for the thorough review, Yazeh! And for the dignified kitty sketch. Not sure about the ink color, but the shading is lovely, and it's nice to know it's well-behaved.

You're most welcome. I'm not sure if this Herr, Monsieur Kitty from Mata Hari's time period would be as dignified as our modern kitties. That over anthropomorphizing for you

[Sailor Kenshin]

Wow, a good color and some historical info. I like the chroma and the kitteh sketch.

The historical info has me curious. Thanks once again, Yazeh! 🆗

[mizgeorge]

Great review - thank you Yazeh!

I'm completely smitten with the monocle...

[Yazeh]

Great review - thank you Yazeh!

Most welcome!

I'm completely smitten with the monocle...

Me too

[junglejim]

I do love that color. It reminds me of Black Swan in Australian Roses.

[Yazeh]

I do love that color. It reminds me of Black Swan in Australian Roses.

Yes it's somewhere between the Australian/ English roses

[Jon Szanto]

I do love that color. It reminds me of Black Swan in Australian Roses.

I was going to say the exact same thing. Nice, deep review, Yazeh. All the background extras on MH are very much appreciated!

[Yazeh]

Wow, a good color and some historical info. I like the chroma and the kitteh sketch.

Thank you so much!
The historical info has me curious. Thanks once again, Yazeh! 🆗[/QUOTE]

Yeo, one learns a lot

[Yazeh]

I do love that color. It reminds me of Black Swan in Australian Roses.

I was going to say the exact same thing. Nice, deep review, Yazeh. All the background extras on MH are very much appreciated!

Thank you. You're too kind

I couldn't find my Australian Roses swatch. But here is a side by side with English Roses...


Comparaison with English Roses.jpeg

[BlkWhiteFilmPix]

Thank you for - as always - your thorough review and historical background.

Also curious about the reason for name, I studied a picture of the bottle but found no hints.

But I did find some pictures of the cocktail, including this one on Hennessy's site.

Can we infer anything from the drawing of a Mermaid - another somewhat mystical and mythical being?

[Yazeh]

Thank you for - as always - your thorough review and historical background.

Most welcome!

Also curious about the reason for name, I studied a picture of the bottle but found no hints.

There's no hint about the colour. But the image refers to Mata Hari's nude dancing. Though, I believe, there was some controversy about the historicity of the said image, anatomically speaking

But I did find some pictures of the cocktail, including this one on Hennessy's site.

Great find That seems like the right colour.

Can we infer anything from the drawing of a Mermaid - another somewhat mystical and mythical being?

I honestly don't know. Possibly it might allude to all those stories Mata Hari invented about her origins from South East Asia. It's a trait in many people in performing arts, though not exclusively. Some people enjoy reinventing their biography to make it more interesting and less "boring".