John Willie
Encyclopedia
John Alexander Scott Coutts (December 9, 1902 - August 5, 1962), better known as John Willie, was a pioneering fetish photographer, illustrator, and bondage artist.
and grew up in England
; contrary to some claims, he was not related to the Coutts banking family
.
In 1921 he entered Sandhurst
and in 1923 was commissioned a Second Lieutenant
in the Royal Scots
. He was forced to resign his commission in 1925 after marrying a nightclub hostess, Eveline Fisher, without the permission of his regiment, whereupon he moved to Australia
; the marriage ended in divorce in 1930.
In the mid-1930s, he began working for a Sydney
-based fetish club as an illustrator and photographer; around this time he began a relationship with Holly Faram, one of his models, and they married in 1942. He was an early enthusiast for the writings of Jorge Luis Borges
, and invited the Argentinian to Australia in 1938, to give a short series of lectures in Melbourne, sponsored by Bohemia magazine.
Around 1945-47 Coutts moved to New York City
via Montreal
, in order to publish his bondage and fetish magazine Bizarre; Holly chose to remain in Australia where she died in 1983 at the age of 70. When he moved to America Coutts adopted the name 'John Willie'.
Bizarre was published, somewhat irregularly, from 1946 to 1959 (compare with ENEG's work in Exotique magazine, published 1956 - 1959). The magazine included many photographs, often of his wife, and drawings of costume designs, some based on ideas from readers. There were also many letters from readers; he was accused of inventing these, but insisted that they were genuine. The letters covered interests such as high heels, bondage
, amputee fetishism
, sadomasochism, transvestism
, corsets and body modification
.
As a bondage artist, he is best known for his character Sweet Gwendoline
, which he drew in a clear, anatomically correct style that influenced later artists such as ENEG and Eric Stanton
. Other characters include U69 (censored to U89 in some editions) as the raven-haired dominatrix
who ties up Gwendoline and Sir Dystic d'Arcy, the only prominent male character and probably a parody of Willie himself.
The comic strip was published by Irving Klaw
, who forced Stanton to paint clothes over the whip marks on the originals of "The Missing Princess".
After publishing 20 issues of Bizarre he moved to Hollywood, California
. He developed a brain tumor in 1961 and was forced to stop his mail order business. He destroyed his archives and returned to England where he died in his sleep.
He was portrayed by Jared Harris
in the 2006 movie The Notorious Bettie Page
, which featured a (fictional) meeting between Willie and Page.
tie method of bondage was popularised by John Willie. He regarded it as exceptionally difficult to escape from, claiming that even Harry Houdini
did not like trying to escape from it. His published description is available online.
Life and work
Coutts was born in SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and grew up in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
; contrary to some claims, he was not related to the Coutts banking family
Coutts
Coutts & Co. is one of the UK's private banking houses, now wholly owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland . RBS acquired Coutts and all of its overseas subsidiaries when it bought NatWest. On 1 January 2008, Coutts' international businesses were renamed RBS Coutts, aligning them more closely with...
.
In 1921 he entered Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
and in 1923 was commissioned a Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in the Royal Scots
The Royal Scots
The Royal Scots , once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest, and therefore most senior, infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of Scotland...
. He was forced to resign his commission in 1925 after marrying a nightclub hostess, Eveline Fisher, without the permission of his regiment, whereupon he moved to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
; the marriage ended in divorce in 1930.
In the mid-1930s, he began working for a Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
-based fetish club as an illustrator and photographer; around this time he began a relationship with Holly Faram, one of his models, and they married in 1942. He was an early enthusiast for the writings of Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo , known as Jorge Luis Borges , was an Argentine writer, essayist, poet and translator born in Buenos Aires. In 1914 his family moved to Switzerland where he attended school, receiving his baccalauréat from the Collège de Genève in 1918. The family...
, and invited the Argentinian to Australia in 1938, to give a short series of lectures in Melbourne, sponsored by Bohemia magazine.
Around 1945-47 Coutts moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
via Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, in order to publish his bondage and fetish magazine Bizarre; Holly chose to remain in Australia where she died in 1983 at the age of 70. When he moved to America Coutts adopted the name 'John Willie'.
Bizarre was published, somewhat irregularly, from 1946 to 1959 (compare with ENEG's work in Exotique magazine, published 1956 - 1959). The magazine included many photographs, often of his wife, and drawings of costume designs, some based on ideas from readers. There were also many letters from readers; he was accused of inventing these, but insisted that they were genuine. The letters covered interests such as high heels, bondage
Bondage (BDSM)
Bondage is the use of restraints for the sexual pleasure of the parties involved. It may be used in its own right, as in the case of rope bondage and breast bondage, or as part of sexual activity or BDSM activity.- Private bondage :...
, amputee fetishism
Amputee fetishism
Acrotomophilia , refers to a paraphilia in which an individual expresses strong sexual interest in amputees...
, sadomasochism, transvestism
Transvestism
Transvestism is the practice of cross-dressing, which is wearing clothing traditionally associated with the opposite sex. Transvestite refers to a person who cross-dresses; however, the word often has additional connotations. -History:Although the word transvestism was coined as late as the 1910s,...
, corsets and body modification
Body modification
Body modification is the deliberate altering of the human body for any non-medical reason, such as aesthetics, sexual enhancement, a rite of passage, religious reasons, to display group membership or affiliation, to create body art, shock value, or self expression...
.
As a bondage artist, he is best known for his character Sweet Gwendoline
Sweet Gwendoline
Sweet Gwendoline is the main female character in the works of bondage artist John Willie, published largely in the 1950s and 60s, and possibly the most famous bondage icon after Bettie Page...
, which he drew in a clear, anatomically correct style that influenced later artists such as ENEG and Eric Stanton
Eric Stanton
Eric Stanton was an American bondage and fetish illustrator, cartoonist, and comic-book artist.The majority of his work depicted female dominance scenarios.-Early life and career:...
. Other characters include U69 (censored to U89 in some editions) as the raven-haired dominatrix
Dominatrix
Dominatrix or mistress is a woman or women who takes the dominant role in bondage, discipline and sadomasochism, or BDSM. A common form of address for a submissive to a dominatrix is "mistress", "ma'am", "domina" or "maîtresse"...
who ties up Gwendoline and Sir Dystic d'Arcy, the only prominent male character and probably a parody of Willie himself.
The comic strip was published by Irving Klaw
Irving Klaw
Irving Klaw was an American photographer and filmmaker.Klaw is best-known for operating a mail-order business selling photographs and film of attractive women from the 1940s to the 1960s...
, who forced Stanton to paint clothes over the whip marks on the originals of "The Missing Princess".
After publishing 20 issues of Bizarre he moved to Hollywood, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He developed a brain tumor in 1961 and was forced to stop his mail order business. He destroyed his archives and returned to England where he died in his sleep.
He was portrayed by Jared Harris
Jared Harris
Jared Francis Harris is a British character actor, well known for playing the obnoxious Mac McGrath in the Adam Sandler film Mr. Deeds, and for his portrayal of Lane Pryce on the AMC series Mad Men.- Personal life :...
in the 2006 movie The Notorious Bettie Page
The Notorious Bettie Page
The Notorious Bettie Page is a 2005 American biographical film directed by Mary Harron. The screenplay by Harron and Guinevere Turner focuses on 1950s pinup and bondage model Bettie Page.-Plot:...
, which featured a (fictional) meeting between Willie and Page.
G-string tie
The g-stringG-string
A G-string is a type of thong underwear or swimsuit, a narrow piece of cloth, leather, or plastic, that covers or holds the genitals, passes between the buttocks, and is attached to a band around the hips, worn as swimwear or underwear by women and men...
tie method of bondage was popularised by John Willie. He regarded it as exceptionally difficult to escape from, claiming that even Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini was a Hungarian-born American magician and escapologist, stunt performer, actor and film producer noted for his sensational escape acts...
did not like trying to escape from it. His published description is available online.
Quote
"Unless a model is a good actress, and has 'that type' of face, it's difficult for her to look sad and miserable when working for me. My studio is a pretty cheerful place, and quite unlike the atmosphere that surrounds Gwendoline when the Countess gets hold of her." - John Willie, The Art of John Willie, Sophisticated Bondage - Book Two (Page 1)Further reading
- A John Willie Portfolio, n.1 (a cura di Carl McGuire), Van Nuys, CA., London Ent. Ltd., 1987
- Bizarre: The Complete Reprint of John Willie's Bizarre, Vols. 1-26; ISBN 3-8228-9269-6 TaschenTaschenTaschen is an art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. It began as Taschen Comics publishing Benedikt's extensive comic collection...
. Edited by Eric KrollEric KrollEric Kroll is a fetish photographer and editor living in San Francisco, California.-Work:Eric Kroll has published some collections , composed introductions for influential works such as the compiled two-volume "Bizarre" collection and some Taschen folios...
. - , Paris, Futuropolis, 1985
- The Art of John Willie - Sophisticated Bondage (Book One)
- An illustrated biography edited by Stefano Piselli & Riccardo Morrocchi (128 pages)
- The Art of John Willie - Sophisticated Bondage (Book Two)
- An illustrated biography edited by Stefano Piselli & Riccardo Morrocchi (128 pages)
- The Bound Beauties of Irving Klaw & John Willie, vol 2, Van Nuys, CA., Harmony Comm., 1977
- The First John Willie Bondage Photo Book, Van Nuys, CA., London Ent. Ltd., 1978
- The Second John Willie Bondage Photo Book, Van Nuys, CA., London Ent. Ltd., 1978
- The Works of John Willie (a cura di Peter Stevenson), s.l., s.e., s.d.*
- The Adventures of Sweet Gwendoline (Second Edition, Revised & Enlarged) New York: Bélier Press, 1999. 368 pp. ISBN 0-914646-48-6
External links
- http://lambiek.net/artists/w/willie_john.htm
- "The Rembrandt of Pulp"
- http://www.belierpress.com/www/previewgallery.html
- American Fetish - Scholarly resources for the study of SM and Fetishism in American Culture
- John Willie