In 1886 at age thirteen Joseph de Leeuw joined Metz & Co., which was located on the Sint Antoniesbreestraat at the time. Ten years later he was a partner. In 1902 the firm moved to larger premises on the Kalverstraat and again in 1908 to the spacious and stately building on the corner of the Leidsestraat and the Keizersgracht. Before World War I, Joseph de Leeuw was the director and sole owner of Metz & Co. He recruited painters, visual artists and furniture designers from the Netherlands and abroad to design fabrics and furniture for the company.
S. Bloemgarten and J. van Velzen, Joods Amsterdam in een bewogen tijd 1980-1940. Een beeldverhaal (Zwolle 1997) 69
Joseph de Leeuw was married. His wife passed away before the war. With her, he had three children, two of whom survived. His daughter Henriette also lived in the wealthy Gooi area, with her family. Joseph remarried. His second spouse survived the war.
Addition of a visitor of the website
In addition, a Jokos file (number 52850) on this person is at the Amsterdam Municipal Archive. Access is subject to authorization from the Stichting Joods Maatschappelijk Werk.The Jokos file reveals that a claim was lodged for compensation for valuables surrendered to the Lippmann-Rosenthal looting bank (L-claim, number 7129/1479).