MASSAD Magazine 213
- Goodbye to Monique von Cleef
- From MASSAD Magazine 213 (Current Issue)
- Posted by Kind Permission of Bert Wibo (Publisher of Massad Magazine)
Unexpectedly, we received the news from the personal secretary of Monique von Cleef, that after a long illness that rendered her bedridden she had died on the 4th of February 2005, in Antwerp, Belgium. The funeral took place on 9 February at the municipal cemetery in Merksem, Belgium.
Younger members of the Lifestyle will probably not, or hardly remember her, but the old guard know the name of Monique von Cleef for sure. I first met her, when I had just started working for Massad magazine . That would have been in the seventies, when she came to the famous Massad studio to order leather clothing. I had my first experiences of layout then, because then a magazine like the Massad was still produced with the aid of an IBM golf ball machine (very revolutionary then), scissors and a pot of glue. The editorial office was situated on the first floor above the Tijdschriftenhandel Noord shop in the Zaagmolenstraat. I worked in the front, our leather worker, Mrs Jansen, was using the whole of the back of the premises for her large cutting table, the various sewing machines and other machinery. One day after lunch, I went to climb the stairs to find a man of middle age chained to the stairs, waiting for his mistress. He devoutly bowed his head when I passed him on the stairs, and I was then introduced to Mrs von Cleef, a breathtaking beauty, who with her natural domination acknowledged the presence of the lay-out setter of the magazine and gave me a friendly nod before proceeding to discuss her clothing requirements.
She was friendly, but distant - but it was immediately obvious, that this was a powerful woman. Later in the day, I was given a sample of her book "House of Pain". Her life story to date. Originally Monique von Cleef came from Heerlen and was employed in nursing in The Hague. There she was approached by a photographer, who was there for a check up and was totally overcome by her figure and the magnificent white nurse's uniform. Offering a fair recompense, he persuaded her to pose in all types of leather garments, boots and corsets in his studio for a yet to be published photo book. And although she found it initially strange and had never associated with this type of material, the money persuaded her. The leather enclosed her body like a second skin, the natural dominance came to the fore and before she realised what was happening her true nature (hidden until then) manifested itself: She came out as a dominatrix and her first experience with a subservient man was naturally with the pushy photographer, who willingly subjected himself to her. For clarification: this event took place about 1954, when she was around 30 years of age.
Let's not forget, that there were no SM Magazines, the topic was rarely raised in the media and it was a big taboo. Still Monique von Cleef was able to gather a stable of subservient and masochistic men around her, through self teaching becoming more experienced in the field of dominance.
The real story of Monique von Cleef begins about 1960, when she decided to leave Holland for America. With a handful of bondage items and her leather clothing hidden in the rest of her luggage she moved to New York, where within a year, thanks to a growing band of faithful followers, she transformed a large townhouse in Newark, New Jersey, in to a ,Valhalla for masochists, submissives and fetishists. In the years 1960 to 1962 the place gets to be known as "The House of Pain", and is placed on the map through the efforts of Lennie Burtman of the magazines Exotique and Bizarre Life.
But the Valhalla came to an abrupt end in 1962, when the Newark police department raided it. The finding of a list with 10,000 names and addresses and the fact that some (well known) politicians in compromising positions were present at the time of the raid, ensured immediate national fame in America for Monique von Cleef. Eventually it was decided to expel her and the immigration department of America at the end of 1969 sent her back to Holland. But Monique did not give in, once back in The Hague she opened a new studio in the immediate vicinity of Laan van Meerdervoort near the Centraal Station.
In about 1972 she was approached by "Olympia Press" to put to paper her experiences in New York, and with Willem Waterman (a pseudonym for Willy van den Hout, who had also written the famous Bob Evers boy Journals) as ghost-writer she wrote "House of Pain". During this period she recommenced advertising, including in this magazine and she remained in The Hague for a good 15 years where she did full honour to her reputation as the best known and possibly best dominatrix in the world. About 1985 she gave up her studio and informed her subjects she wished to retire. She went to America, the country she loved and had a few happy years thanks to several well meaning subjects whom took care of her needs. Unfortunately, her luck didn't last long. At the beginning of the 1990's she returned to Europe, an illusion poorer. She established herself in Oostende, Belgium where she tried to open another studio - and although her name still had a legendary sound to it, Monique was a woman of age who had difficulty in making connections or contact with younger BDSM lovers. I remember she phoned me one day and asked:" Bert, where have all the real slaves gone". I answered honestly: "They're all dead, Monique." That wasn't totally true, but the masochistic and subservient establishment of (especially) men aged between 50-80 is different to today. Essentially maybe the same, but still different, and that was one of the reasons that Monique von Cleef quietly left the stage.
To the end she still had a few faithful followers, but as she advanced in years, so the ailments advanced in number and severity...
She lived a lonely life for the last few years in Merksem, where she could still live independently, until she became ill and had to be admitted to hospital. Her sickness became fatal and with her death the SM world says goodbye to a striking figure, a figurehead. and I dare say, that in anno 2005 we would have had a totally different BDSM world without her, because she set the beacons in the past - and we have all followed them. Monique, thank you and rest peacefully...
Bert Wibo
Goodbye to Monique von Cleef
- By Bert Wibo
Suddenly, but not entirely unexpectedly, we received the news from Monique von Cleef `s personal secretary, that Mistress Monique had died on the 4th February in Antwerp, Belgium, after a long illness. Her Funeral took place on 9 February 2005 at the Municipal Cemetary in Merksem, Belgium.
I first met her I the 70`s , when she came to the famous Massad studio to order leather clothing. One day after lunch, I went to climb the stairs, to find a middle aged man chained to the stairs, waiting for his Mistress. He devoutly bowed his head when I passed him and I was then introduced to Mrs von Cleef, a breathtaking beauty who with her natural dominance, acknowledged the presence of the layout setter of the magazine and gave me a friendly nod, before proceeding to discuss her clothing requirements.
She was friendly, but distant – but it was immediately obvious, that this was a powerful woman. Later in the day I was given a sample of her book "House of Pain". Her life story to date.
Originally Monique von Cleef came from Heerlen and was worked in nursing in The Hague. There she was approached by a photographer, who was there for a check up, who was totally overcome by her figure and the magnificent white nurse’s uniform. Offering a fair recompense, he persuaded her to pose in all types of leather garments, boots and corsets in his studio, for a yet to be published photo book. Although she found it initially strange and had never associated with this type of material, the money persuaded her. The leather enclosed her body like a second skin, her natural dominance came to the fore and before she realised what was happening her true nature (hidden until then) manifested itself: she came out as a dominatrix and her first experience with a subservient man, was naturally, with the pushy photographer, who willingly subjected himself to her. For clarification: this event took place in about 1954, when she was around 30 years of age.
Let’s not forget, that there were no S/M Magazines, the topic was rarely raised in the media and it was a big taboo. Still, Monique von Cleef was able to gather a stable of subservient and masochistic men around her.
Her real story begins about 1960, when she decided to leave Holland for America. With a handful of bondage items and her leather clothing hidden in the rest of her luggage she moved to New York, where, within a year, thanks to a growing band of faithful followers, she transformed a large townhouse in Newark, New Jersey in to a Valhalla for masochists, subservient and fetishists. In the years 1962 to 1967 the place gets to be known as "the House of Pain", and is put on the map through the efforts of Lenny Burtman and his magazines Exotique and Bizarre Life.
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