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The History & Arts of the Dominatrix
THE HISTORY & ARTS OF THE DOMINATRIX by Anne O Nomis
This much-anticipated book is the illustrated treatise on the Dominatrix throughout history. Begun in 2009, it has taken four years to come to be published with artwork illustrated with permission of the highest museums and libraries in the world.
No book previously existed on the subject. Nomis set to work meticulously researching the most discreet and mysterious occupation of the Dominatrix. This book reveals the ancient roots of the Dominatrix lie within sacred rituals to a Goddess Inanna who ruled one of the most important cities of the ancient world, the city of Uruk (or Warka). With a Masters degree in archaeology and art history, Nomis has included exerts of a hymn to the Goddess with rites of gender transformation, punishment, pain and ecstasy, linked to the high en-priestess named Enheduanna, and images of the Goddess.
Into the English history record, the secular profession appears in books from the 17th Century, with flagellation prints of the Dominatrix in role of 'Whipstress' and 'School-Mistress'. The ladies providing birch discipline were interlinked with royalty, nobility, parliamentarians and secret societies. By the 19th Century, London held 20 sumptuously appointed discipline houses, run by 'Governess' Dominatrices, one of whom invented a special machine for whipping, known as the Berkley Horse.
In the 20th Century, the book presents rare vintage snapshots of mid-20th Century ladies of the 'bizarre underground' in time, space and place, from London, New York, The Hague and The Herbertstrasse. Lastly, Nomis examines the contemporary occupation of the modern-day Dominatrix, and contributes a theory of their 'Seven Realm Arts' characterizing their practices in a framework beyond the catch-all term of BDSM. This book is the seminal work on the subject of the Dominatrix, her history and her arts as a unique craft.
'Painstakingly researched...The quintessential treatise on dominant women throughout the ages...impressive work.' (David Jackson, DDI)
Illustrated with artwork and 86+ images from the British Museum, Iraq Museum, Penn Museum, Oriental Institute of Chicago, Fitzwilliam Museum of Cambridge University, Villa of Mysteries Pompeii, British Library Rare Books, Library of Congress Washington DC, National Portrait Gallery, Yale Center for British Art, Kinsey Institute, with vintage images by artist John Willie from Bélier Press, vintage Dominatrices from DDI Magazine, Atom Age and private collection, contemporary artwork by Natasha Gornik, Kate Peters, Phil Miller, Nuit' d'Or and Lucina Nathanael.
The book has been produced in a stunning first edition hardback, inspired by the Victorian "forbidden book", with gold foil and quarter-bound, accentuating the art of book fetish. A special collector's release, it is available in a limited edition of 2,000 copies only, each individually numbered, available from the publisher website in the UK. (www.historyofthedominatrix.com)
Also available as an e-book / kindle, however without the beautiful design format of the hardcopy due to limitations of software associated with e-books.
This much-anticipated book is the illustrated treatise on the Dominatrix throughout history. Begun in 2009, it has taken four years to come to be published with artwork illustrated with permission of the highest museums and libraries in the world.
No book previously existed on the subject. Nomis set to work meticulously researching the most discreet and mysterious occupation of the Dominatrix. This book reveals the ancient roots of the Dominatrix lie within sacred rituals to a Goddess Inanna who ruled one of the most important cities of the ancient world, the city of Uruk (or Warka). With a Masters degree in archaeology and art history, Nomis has included exerts of a hymn to the Goddess with rites of gender transformation, punishment, pain and ecstasy, linked to the high en-priestess named Enheduanna, and images of the Goddess.
Into the English history record, the secular profession appears in books from the 17th Century, with flagellation prints of the Dominatrix in role of 'Whipstress' and 'School-Mistress'. The ladies providing birch discipline were interlinked with royalty, nobility, parliamentarians and secret societies. By the 19th Century, London held 20 sumptuously appointed discipline houses, run by 'Governess' Dominatrices, one of whom invented a special machine for whipping, known as the Berkley Horse.
In the 20th Century, the book presents rare vintage snapshots of mid-20th Century ladies of the 'bizarre underground' in time, space and place, from London, New York, The Hague and The Herbertstrasse. Lastly, Nomis examines the contemporary occupation of the modern-day Dominatrix, and contributes a theory of their 'Seven Realm Arts' characterizing their practices in a framework beyond the catch-all term of BDSM. This book is the seminal work on the subject of the Dominatrix, her history and her arts as a unique craft.
'Painstakingly researched...The quintessential treatise on dominant women throughout the ages...impressive work.' (David Jackson, DDI)
Illustrated with artwork and 86+ images from the British Museum, Iraq Museum, Penn Museum, Oriental Institute of Chicago, Fitzwilliam Museum of Cambridge University, Villa of Mysteries Pompeii, British Library Rare Books, Library of Congress Washington DC, National Portrait Gallery, Yale Center for British Art, Kinsey Institute, with vintage images by artist John Willie from Bélier Press, vintage Dominatrices from DDI Magazine, Atom Age and private collection, contemporary artwork by Natasha Gornik, Kate Peters, Phil Miller, Nuit' d'Or and Lucina Nathanael.
The book has been produced in a stunning first edition hardback, inspired by the Victorian "forbidden book", with gold foil and quarter-bound, accentuating the art of book fetish. A special collector's release, it is available in a limited edition of 2,000 copies only, each individually numbered, available from the publisher website in the UK. (www.historyofthedominatrix.com)
Also available as an e-book / kindle, however without the beautiful design format of the hardcopy due to limitations of software associated with e-books.
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 8, 2013
68 people are currently reading
1712 people want to read
About the author
Anne O. Nomis
1 book38 followersAnne O Nomis (a word-play on 'anonymous') was born in the Antipodes. She received her MA degree in comparative art and archaeology from University College London (UCL), and works as an historian, consultant and curator on ancient and contemporary art.
Nomis undertook clandestine training in one of Australia's leading dungeons under the tutelage of some 15 Dominatrices, and pursued independent research in the British Museum, British Library and the underground 'scene' over a four-year period.
She is currently writing two works of fiction, and plans to continue her studies to obtain a doctorate in Near Eastern material culture, ritual and mythology, and the origins of early civilization.
Nomis lives between Melbourne and London.
Nomis undertook clandestine training in one of Australia's leading dungeons under the tutelage of some 15 Dominatrices, and pursued independent research in the British Museum, British Library and the underground 'scene' over a four-year period.
She is currently writing two works of fiction, and plans to continue her studies to obtain a doctorate in Near Eastern material culture, ritual and mythology, and the origins of early civilization.
Nomis lives between Melbourne and London.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 31, 2014
The subject of a Dominatrix is whispered in circles among silly titters or hushed lustful sighs. When the word Dominatrix is mentioned, an image of a fierce woman in a corset, leather and high heels wielding a whip is most common. The question is, where did the dominatrix originate? Is this a relatively new phenomenon or have they been throughout history? Are there famous dominatrix throughout history? What are signs of a good dominatrix and how does one become a dominatrix? Anne O Nomis dives into the underground world of sexual deviance to find the elusive dominatrix. She searches through archives and museums for references to ancient women of power. In a beautifully leather bound book, she shares her research in five easy chapters.
This book is lovingly created. It's rare a dead tree book catches my attention. This one is a collector's edition hardcover with heavy pages and colourful art. The cover is tastefully gold embossed with discrete designs. I can't remember the last time I owned a hardcover which came with its own ribbon bookmark. The book feels good in my hands. It's elegant and classy, as is the photo of the author on the back of the book.
The preface starts off with the trials and tribulations in bringing this book into print. It is an interesting read and makes me appreciate the book more. The first chapter covers ancient dominatrix as it relates to goddesses and priestess initiates. Ms. Nomis does a good job of condensing the information in forty odd pages. With an unlimited budget and an ability to speak many language, Ms. Nomis could create several volumes on ancient dominatrix across multiple cultures. Her focus is only on the ancient western world with the Middle East commonly referred to the Fertile Crescent area. Her insights into the possible downfall of strong women archetypes make sense and popular theory among those in women studies fields. It is no surprise the difficulty in finding details on women in the past, especially in patriarchal societies. Still, even in the Eastern cultures, there are some women both myth and real who stand out. I'd like to suggest a few Chinese women in ancient China who qualify as a dominatrix: Yang Guifei, Qin Liangyu, Princess Pingyang and Ng Mui.
The second chapter moves into the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries in western Europe through strict governesses and flagellation houses. This is a more familiar area. Based on my own personal experiences and research, I would agree Ms. Nomis is spot on with this chapter. Whilst the focus is on men being dominated by these strict women, I'd like to propose to expand this to female submissives. This is another piece I found missing in the book. It only really deals with femdom in a heterosexual manner. There is little about F/f domination. Still, it's probably best Ms. Nomis keeps the focus on F/m or the book would be rather lengthy.
The third and fourth chapters depict more famous dominatrix in the past fifty odd years. It's horrifying to learn in the USA, people were convicted of private lewdness. It is educational to learn about how the US Postal Service provided assistance into persecuting and harassing people. Ms. Nomis does a good job of showing how society changed in the past fifty years. The last chapter depicts seven "realms" of the dominatrix art form. Honestly, this chapter fizzled the book out for me. It didn't capture my attention perhaps because the categorizations didn't mean much to me. For some, it may help them understand better how a dominatrix interacts with a male submissive. For those who are in the lifestyle, this is the basics and can be skimmed through. For those who are new to the BDSM lifestyle, it may be more beneficial.
There is another item I learned which is noteworthy. The training of dominatrix is interesting and a bit disappointing. Ms. Nomis highlights what she witnesses in Australia. These professional houses are showcased in a way which portrays catty backstabbing women. Not the best and unfortunately too accurate in many places, even outside of the lifestyle. Fortunately, my message to budding dominatrixes - not all places train in such poor ways. From a business sense, I can see many flaws in how the training is designed as shown in this book. From a personal experience, I've just completed a yearlong mentorship for dominants and I can attest there is training which includes benevolent dominants in a supportive environment.
Overall, this book is well put together, focused and easy to read. It's the first of its kind and I can only hope Ms. Nomis will continue her research and write more about Dominatrixes. Recommended for kinksters interested in learning more about the elusive female dominant.
*provided by BDSM Book Reviews
This book is lovingly created. It's rare a dead tree book catches my attention. This one is a collector's edition hardcover with heavy pages and colourful art. The cover is tastefully gold embossed with discrete designs. I can't remember the last time I owned a hardcover which came with its own ribbon bookmark. The book feels good in my hands. It's elegant and classy, as is the photo of the author on the back of the book.
The preface starts off with the trials and tribulations in bringing this book into print. It is an interesting read and makes me appreciate the book more. The first chapter covers ancient dominatrix as it relates to goddesses and priestess initiates. Ms. Nomis does a good job of condensing the information in forty odd pages. With an unlimited budget and an ability to speak many language, Ms. Nomis could create several volumes on ancient dominatrix across multiple cultures. Her focus is only on the ancient western world with the Middle East commonly referred to the Fertile Crescent area. Her insights into the possible downfall of strong women archetypes make sense and popular theory among those in women studies fields. It is no surprise the difficulty in finding details on women in the past, especially in patriarchal societies. Still, even in the Eastern cultures, there are some women both myth and real who stand out. I'd like to suggest a few Chinese women in ancient China who qualify as a dominatrix: Yang Guifei, Qin Liangyu, Princess Pingyang and Ng Mui.
The second chapter moves into the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries in western Europe through strict governesses and flagellation houses. This is a more familiar area. Based on my own personal experiences and research, I would agree Ms. Nomis is spot on with this chapter. Whilst the focus is on men being dominated by these strict women, I'd like to propose to expand this to female submissives. This is another piece I found missing in the book. It only really deals with femdom in a heterosexual manner. There is little about F/f domination. Still, it's probably best Ms. Nomis keeps the focus on F/m or the book would be rather lengthy.
The third and fourth chapters depict more famous dominatrix in the past fifty odd years. It's horrifying to learn in the USA, people were convicted of private lewdness. It is educational to learn about how the US Postal Service provided assistance into persecuting and harassing people. Ms. Nomis does a good job of showing how society changed in the past fifty years. The last chapter depicts seven "realms" of the dominatrix art form. Honestly, this chapter fizzled the book out for me. It didn't capture my attention perhaps because the categorizations didn't mean much to me. For some, it may help them understand better how a dominatrix interacts with a male submissive. For those who are in the lifestyle, this is the basics and can be skimmed through. For those who are new to the BDSM lifestyle, it may be more beneficial.
There is another item I learned which is noteworthy. The training of dominatrix is interesting and a bit disappointing. Ms. Nomis highlights what she witnesses in Australia. These professional houses are showcased in a way which portrays catty backstabbing women. Not the best and unfortunately too accurate in many places, even outside of the lifestyle. Fortunately, my message to budding dominatrixes - not all places train in such poor ways. From a business sense, I can see many flaws in how the training is designed as shown in this book. From a personal experience, I've just completed a yearlong mentorship for dominants and I can attest there is training which includes benevolent dominants in a supportive environment.
Overall, this book is well put together, focused and easy to read. It's the first of its kind and I can only hope Ms. Nomis will continue her research and write more about Dominatrixes. Recommended for kinksters interested in learning more about the elusive female dominant.
*provided by BDSM Book Reviews
January 17, 2021
Although the subject matter may seem titillating, this isn’t salacious material but a well researched, written and insightful book into the history and arts of the Dominatrix.
October 26, 2019
Great insight
Great insight into submissive men.
Enjoy the read — moves real quickly.
Desires the highest praise for holding your attention
Great insight into submissive men.
Enjoy the read — moves real quickly.
Desires the highest praise for holding your attention
February 14, 2018
This book was an excellent collection of history and research. It academically pursues the origins of the idea of the dominant woman and how it has been seen by varying cultures and in different times around the world. I was impressed by the detail in the book, I felt that the author covered many areas very thoroughly. She gives a detailed reference list for all images used in the book and goes into details about their cultural significance.
The author's writing style was easy to read and had a good flow to it making it an enjoyable book to review. One aspect that did bother me was the excessive use of "" around common BDSM terminology. Near the beginning of the book I found it odd and as I came to the end of the book I found it tiresome and unnecessary. The author tells about her journey to write this book in the Preface and makes many mention that the interest in the topic stemmed from having friends in the BDSM scene and her interest was strictly academic. The way this was written came across to me as stressing that the author had never participated in such activities. There is nothing wrong with that at all but when combined with the divergence from typical BDSM writing by constantly placing terminology in "", it gave a flavour of inexperience that changed the tone of the book.
Overall I would say this is a very worthwhile read for anyone interested in some of the lesser known historical aspects of BDSM.
The author's writing style was easy to read and had a good flow to it making it an enjoyable book to review. One aspect that did bother me was the excessive use of "" around common BDSM terminology. Near the beginning of the book I found it odd and as I came to the end of the book I found it tiresome and unnecessary. The author tells about her journey to write this book in the Preface and makes many mention that the interest in the topic stemmed from having friends in the BDSM scene and her interest was strictly academic. The way this was written came across to me as stressing that the author had never participated in such activities. There is nothing wrong with that at all but when combined with the divergence from typical BDSM writing by constantly placing terminology in "", it gave a flavour of inexperience that changed the tone of the book.
Overall I would say this is a very worthwhile read for anyone interested in some of the lesser known historical aspects of BDSM.
November 16, 2019
I only knew about the dominatrix what she looks like and that she punishes submissive men as part of their erotic fantasies. So when I saw this book I decided to learn more about it. I like to read history books about more unusual topics and this is one of them.
It is the first of it's kind presenting the history of dominatrix as well as telling the reader more about what it is. It is really interesting how far it goes. We start with goddesses of sexuality who had all the power and see how it happened in 15th century as well as in our times. It is well researched and written in an interesting way. It also includes illustrations which show us ancient art which shows the goddesses as well as paintings from the history of men being punished in a sexual way. Definitely an interesting and informative book.
It is the first of it's kind presenting the history of dominatrix as well as telling the reader more about what it is. It is really interesting how far it goes. We start with goddesses of sexuality who had all the power and see how it happened in 15th century as well as in our times. It is well researched and written in an interesting way. It also includes illustrations which show us ancient art which shows the goddesses as well as paintings from the history of men being punished in a sexual way. Definitely an interesting and informative book.
August 18, 2015
Review - The History & Arts of the Dominatrix - Five of Five stars This book does a first class job of telling us the story of the Dominatrix and stating, on paper, what many of us already know but have avoided openly acknowledging. There are more than ten pages of references in there, particularly in the historical sections.At the end of the day, the Dominatrix of the last few centuries has existed as a profession, to satisfy the clientelle who wish the service. It is a human demand that is probably baked in to our natural blueprint; as evidenced by the societies before the Abrahamic religions, that ran on those same principles. There is solid argument that these services also exist because of the un-natural restrictions placed on us by our, "binary thinking," societies; thus creating the un-balanced psychological states from which we need release, and hence the need to turn to extra services to redress that balance, away from societies judgemental eyes.This work will probably be among the books that society as a whole, considers, when it justifies to itself the further removal of organised religion from our governance.There is the question of the future of the Dominatrix, however. Society is taking the much stronger step of re-defining beauty; one of the very weapons of carnal desire that the Dominatrix relies upon. We may yet see the Dominatrix separate from the fetishistic and return to the core of emotional dominance. Cultures are changing, and the Dominatrix will have to change with them. After all, with corpral punishment now banned in schools, how many years will remain before people stop seeking the schoolboy scenario; or once India abandons the caste system, for example.The way I see it, the core facets of submission and dominance are not unique to the sexes. It is merely that the patriarchal society has painted female submission and male dominance as normal and to be accepted; while the converse is to be rejected. These traits, however, exist within us all and I forsee a future where dungeons contain Dominant and Dominatrix, working side by side, for the benefit of their clients of either sex, who wish to exercise various facets of their natural personalities.At one point in chapter 4, one submissive was quoted as saying, "I would try my best to bury my desires, to pretend they weren't there, but it inevitably would pop up and I would feel guilty, then I'd try and push it back down again. But you can't, you know? It's part of who you are, a part of your identity and being. ... So eventually I told my wife. I was terrified and expected her to want to leave me. I expected the worst, and broke down and cried several times, explaining it all to her, how it started, how it affected me. And surprisingly she was actually really understanding. She's not interesting in whipping me or wearing leather herself, but she's ok with me seeing a Dominatrix professionally, as long as it stays within those confines, and I tell her when I'm going." - He was lucky, I guess. Not everyone who, "comes out," to their partner manages to get such a response and works a way forward with their other half. But I think understanding is generally improving as the years roll on.As chapter 5 recalls Dumas' words, "Marriage is a chain so heavy that it takes two people to carry it - sometimes three." Spouses frequently detect something, "not right," in their partner and on the occasions that this imbalance is outed, the spouse may not only aquiesse to them attending a Dominatrix (knowing that sex is not on the menu) but sometimes conspire with the Dominatrix themselves to guide their own spouse's treatment at her hands. There are many complexities to human relationships and this book does an excellent job of laying them as bare as possible within the confines of just short of three hundred pages.This book is a cracking read which introduces the reader to things they very likely weren't taught in history class, and exposes the other side of power control in a responsible, researched and factual manner. Be prepared to see the occasional picture that might upset you; not on the nudity part as I think the only thing I ever saw was breasts ... but in terms of the bondage and more extreme power exchange that is depicted here and there. But then, a book like this should only ever be approached with an open mind.Top read. Thoroughly enjoyed it. It should be required reading for anyone who is in a position of control concerning the censorship of our society.Here are the links to the chapter reviews...First -
http://msknight.booklikes.com/post/12...
Second -
http://msknight.booklikes.com/post/12...
Third and Fourth -
http://msknight.booklikes.com/post/12...
Fifth -
http://msknight.booklikes.com/post/12...
The last word to the author herself in a small section of her afterword..
Having spent much of the last four years in the "underworld" of Dominatrices' dungeons, and the dark and artificially lit interiors of museums and libraries, I have finally drawn to the end of my journey documenting the history and arts of the Dominatrix.After all that I've learnt about their world and their practices, the Dominatricies have lost nothing of their mystique. I have great admiration for these highly independent, talented and free-thinking ladies who have made domination their professional craft occupation.
http://msknight.booklikes.com/post/12...
Second -
http://msknight.booklikes.com/post/12...
Third and Fourth -
http://msknight.booklikes.com/post/12...
Fifth -
http://msknight.booklikes.com/post/12...
The last word to the author herself in a small section of her afterword..
Having spent much of the last four years in the "underworld" of Dominatrices' dungeons, and the dark and artificially lit interiors of museums and libraries, I have finally drawn to the end of my journey documenting the history and arts of the Dominatrix.After all that I've learnt about their world and their practices, the Dominatricies have lost nothing of their mystique. I have great admiration for these highly independent, talented and free-thinking ladies who have made domination their professional craft occupation.
August 28, 2025
Un libro meraviglioso, che tratta della figura della Dominatrix in modo completo, corretto ed etico. Un viaggio che parte dalla dea Inanna e arriva alle Dominatrices dei giorni d'oggi. Ho adorato le foto dei dipinti e dei reperti dei musei, hanno reso la lettura molto viva e autorevole.
January 20, 2019
This book is well written. It's also a good book because I'm in there somewhere. Can you find me?
November 22, 2023
Rubbish ... white "feeemale" trash
Read
January 1, 2026Dnf
September 27, 2015
Interesting and informative, a great look at what is considered the darker side of sex from a historical point of view. I would have liked some more of what the world is like today and the authors experience in Melbourne. But a great read really well done and well written.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews