van cleef chinaimages of lee van cleef,If she had chosen to be a politician like Margaret Thatcher, or maybe a film actress like Katherine Hepburn, a lot more people would have known her name and acknowledge her achievements. Instead, Monique von Cleef chose to be a dominatrix. In her way, Monique was just as important to her profession as Thatcher or Hepburn were to theirs, but unlike politics or acting, public notoriety is too often an occupational hazard in the semi-secret world of professional sadomasochism.
Monique was born and raised in the Netherlands. Her first thoughts of a career led her into the medical field, and as a young woman in postwar Holland she studied to be a registered nurse. As any experienced SM player can tell you, a domina with a nursing credential automatically has a leg up on her competitors. A nurse has legitimate medical training, which is a tremendous asset. A nurse also has the practice of care giving down to a science. Most of all, a nurse is already accustomed to being impersonally intimate with a strangers body, which of course is important in a dungeon when youre tying up a naked slave or administering a high colonic.
Monique worked in a medical clinic in The Hague. She evidently looked amazing in her crisp white uniform, because one day a man who was admitted for a minor medical procedure propositioned her. He was a professional photographer, or so he said, and he wanted to take photos of her. Would she be willing to pose? The man offered a substantial modeling fee and flattered Monique the whole time he was being sutured. He went on and on about how her lovely young figure, her dark blue eyes, her severely-coifed, nearly white-blonde hair, and her square, confident jawline were perfect for a series of provocative photos he was doing for an art-book project. Flattered, and attracted by the money, Monique agreed to pose.
A few weeks later Monique found herself in the mans photo studio, confronted by a rack of black leather clothing and several unusual shion accessories like thigh-length boots with stiletto heels and various whips. The photographer quickly explained that the costumes were all part of the photo series. Put them on and if you need help, just shout. He assured Monique that everything was on the up and up. Yeah, we know what was on the way up all right! For the next several hours Monique wriggled and laced her way into the fetishistic outfits and stood in front of the lights. The photographer became more and more animated and excited as the shoot continued. Monique recalled that he didnt pose her with much confidence. It was as if he were in awe of her and just snapped away. Once or twice the photographer made rather leading remarks about how well she fit into the thigh boots. He inquired as to whether she had handled a whip before, considering how comfortable she seemed with it in her hand?
Monique had never met an openly submissive or fetishistic man before, nor had she ever dominated anyone, but being an intelligent, open-minded young woman she guessed at the photographers real intentions. As the photo shoot went along she realized that the art book story was probably a sham. This man was taking photos of her, in these kinky costumes, totally for himself. She actually liked the way the clothes looked and felt, so the next time the photographer fussed over her boots with a polishing cloth, which he seemed to do a lot of, she told him, Not with the cloth. Use your tongue! Needless to say the photographer fell to his knees and went at it with gusto! The photo shoot was forgotten and Monique von Cleef had her very first submissive slave! Unfortunately, none of those very early photos of Monique ever suced, which is a great pity. The photographer became Moniques regular client, however, and it wasnt long before she was handing in her notice at the clinic and hanging up her white stockings and sensible shoes in vor of black fishnets and spike heels. That took place in the early 50s..
Moniques formative years as a young dominatrix in the 1950s were a little sketchy. She developed in her new found profession more slowly than todays dominas. She did, however quickly acquire experience on the job, and slowly, steadily, added to her collection of bondage equipment and bizarre costumes. Most of the photographers leather gear was given to her. Unfortunately, the late 50s period was a difficult time to stock a dungeon even in Holland. Whip makers and rubber-clothing designers werent a penny a dozen as they are today. During the latter 50s Monique grew in experience and worked here and there, accumulating a ithful and very secretive following of highly submissive and masochistic male clients. Remember, there were no SM contact magazines, no Internet, and certainly no mention of ual domination or fetishism in the media. Dominant mistresses were very few and very r between. Monique tutored herself, with the help of her eager and devoted followers.
The heart of the story of Monique von Cleef begins around 1960 when she decided to move from Holland to the United States. She arrived with her bondage equipment and most of her kinky costumes hidden away in her vast luggage. Within a year of landing in New York she had gathered a substantial and very ithful following of male slaves, mostly from the tri-state area, and with their help she acquired and outfitted a spacious old house at 850 Lake St. in Newark, New Jersey. In approximately four to five years, from late 62 to 67, Moniques House of Pain became a Mecca for submissive, masochistic and fetishistic men throughout the eastern seaboard. Monique, not surprisingly, became miliar with Lennie Burtman of Exotique and Bizarre Life magazines. She posed for a wonderful series of black-and-white photos at Burtmans Manhattan apartment around 1963. For those of you old enough to remember, the fetish outfits Monique wore in these old Burtman photos are exactly the same as those worn by Tana Louise and other models in Burtmans magazines. In part thanks to her acquaintance with Burtman, Moniques reputation spread r and wide. She was without doubt the most popular, most enterprising and most successful professional dominatrix in America during the early-to-mid 1960s. This all changed, however, in 1967.
There are several schools of thought as to why the Newark Police Department raided Moniques House of Pain on Lake St. Some say it was because of complaints by prudish neighbors. Some think it was a grandstanding district attorney looking for votes. Still others contend that Monique had to be brought down because of the potential power she wielded through her client list. Heres a brief excerpt from the Newark Star Ledger, which reported the raid when it happened...
POLICE RAID BLONDES TORTURE HOUSE
Whips, Chains in Newark Mansion
...Monique von Cleef ces photographer in kitchen of place described as a professional house of horrors. She was booked yesterday as the queen of a nationwide -and-sadism operation allegedly headquartered in a luxurious home at 850 Lake St., Newark. Detectives found a list of 10,000 names and hundreds of useful implements...
Knowledgeable people chalked the police raid on Moniques place up to a back room deal between political ctions. Though newss and magazines nationwide shouted headlines like, Jerseys House of Pain: Where 10,000 Bigshots Buy Sex &he was arrested and eventually deported back to the Netherlands. It was in the 1970s while she had her second House of Pain on Laan van Meerdervoort in The Hague that she co-authored her ground-breaking book, House of Pain: The Strange World of Monique von Cleef, Queen of Humiliation. Willem W. Waterman was the real author and Ill never forget a comment he made about the literary process with Monique.
Listen, Maam, he said, we all do what we are best at. You crack your whip, Ill write your book. Dont bother me! Evidently Mr. Waterman was not submissive or we had never spoken to her in this way.
In the 1990s, von Cleef was allowed back into the United States, living in both Ohio and Florida at the special invitation of slaves she had known for years. Evidently these arrangements did not last, because Monique returned to Europe. She resided in Belgium until her recent death.
Outliving all of her most generous and cherished slaves, this matriarch of the professional dominance movement spent her last years in relative seclusion and amidst extremely modest surroundings, observed Wibo. Monique was never one to plan for the future, which should be an object lesson to younger dominas working today and spending as lavishly as they earn. Ill miss Monique a great deal.
Readers interested in acquiring Moniques book, House of Pain, originally published by Lyle Stuart Hardcopy in 1973, will find used copies available for resale from Amazon1