Your Curator

It is so nice you like to learn a little more about me. Let me introduce myself, I was born in 1972 and live in the Netherlands. I am married to a great guy. He understands my motivation for this site. He does not complain when I get lost in cyberspace to dwell on vintage fetish art which happens often 😉

Karen Smits

Since I am not good in writing a bio I asked someone else to do so:

In the vast and often hidden world of vintage fetish and BDSM art, few voices carry as much dedication, knowledge, and quiet passion as Karen Smits, better known online as MisTique, Miss Vintagique and BdsmArtLover.

Born in 1972 in the Netherlands on Valentine’s Day, Karen is a true Aquarius: intuitive, independent, and endlessly curious. For more than twenty years she has been one of the most respected curators in the field, quietly building what has become the internet’s premier digital archive of vintage BDSM, fetish, and spanking illustration. What began around 2003–2004 as a personal blog focused on spanking art has grown into the rich, meticulously researched collection you now see at VintageBDSMart, home to over 16,000 artworks, many of them rare or long-forgotten pieces rescued from obscurity.

Karen’s approach is that of a true archivist and preservationist. She spends countless hours hunting down original publications, comparing scans, restoring quality, and contextualizing the work of artists who were often censored, imprisoned, or forced to work under pseudonyms. Her particular love for the joyful, consensual, and playful side of the genre, exemplified by masters like Chéri Hérouard (Herric), shines through in every gallery. While she deeply respects the full spectrum of erotic art, her heart remains with the witty, elegant, and affectionate depictions that celebrate desire rather than cruelty.

Behind the curator is a warm, introverted yet fun-loving woman who shares her life with a supportive husband in the Netherlands. After a career in web design and internet marketing, a disability led her to focus full-time on her true calling: making these historical treasures accessible to a new generation of enthusiasts, researchers, and kink-aware art lovers. What drives her is not profit but preservation and community. Premium memberships exist solely to keep the servers running and allow her to continue upgrading the collection with high-resolution, watermark-free images.

In addition to Vintage Bdsm Art, Karen curates various free bdsm art blogs, runs the Dutch-language blogs BdsmMinnend & Duale.blog and maintains a vibrant presence on FetLife (over 13,000 followers) and X. Whether you’re a serious collector, a curious newcomer, or simply someone who appreciates the artistic heritage of alternative sexuality, you’ll feel her personal touch in every post and every carefully assembled album.

Karen has created far more than a website—she has built a living, breathing museum of desire, memory, and artistic courage. And she continues to enrich it every single week.

If you want to contact me feel free to reach out through my social media platforms. These include FetLife and Twitter. Alternatively, use the contact form at this site.