TheRiderWaiteSmithDeck
A.E.Waite,thecreatoroftheworldsmostinfluentialTarotdeck,wasaspiritualseeker
andmysticwhosupportedhimselfwithfreelancetranslationandwriting.In1889,
underthepseudonymGrandOrient,hepublishedAHandbookofCartomancy,Fortune
TellingandOccultDivination,oneofthefirstbooksinEnglishonhowtoreadtarot.
HisfascinationwiththeoccultscenedrewhimintomembershipintheHermeticOrder
oftheGoldenDawn,buthisspiritualitygraduallyevolvedawayfromceremonialmagic
andtowardChristianmysticism.WhentheGoldenDawnsplinteredintofactions,he
createdhisownorder,theFellowshipoftheRosyCross.In1909,hecreatedtheRider
WaiteTarotincollaborationwithPamelaColmanSmith,andwrotetheaccompanyingbook,ThePictorialKeyto
Tarot(PKT).
PamelaColmanSmithwasborninLondontoAmericanparentsandspentpartofher
childhoodinJamaica.ShestudiedartatthePrattInstituteinNewYorkthentouredwith
anEnglishtheatercompanyasacostumeandsetdesigner.In1901sheacquireda
Londonstudiowheresheentertainedherartisticandliteraryfriendsbydressingupin
costumeandtellingJamaicanfolktaleswithanethnicaccentwhileusingaminiature
cardboardtheaterasaprop.Duringthehighpointofhercareer,from1890to1910,she
collaboratedwithW.BYeatsandhisbrotheronvariousliteraryandtheatricalprojects
illustratedsheetmusic,advertisements,andchildrensbooksandpublishedillustrated
literarymagazines.Shewasalsoknownforgoingintoatranceandchannelingdrawingswhilelisteningto
music,manyyearsbeforethesurrealistsexperimentedwithautomatisminart.
In1909,WaitepaidSmithaflatfeeforillustratinghisTarotdeck.Hechoseherforthejobbecauseofhertalent,
theircommonmembershipintheGoldenDawn,andbecausehebelievedherclairvoyantabilitieswouldhelpher
perceivethehighermysticaltruthshewasattemptingtoconveywithhisdeck.Shenotonlydidntbenefit
financiallyfromthedeck,butthepublishersnamewasputonthedeckinsteadofhers.Recently,thetarot
communityhasbeencorrectingthisinjusticebyreferringtothedeckastheRiderWaiteSmith(RWS)orWaite
Smithdeck(WS).
WeknowthatSmithdidresearchintheBritishMuseum,becauseshe
liftedsomeimagesdirectlyfromthe15thcenturySolaBuscadeckinthe
museumscollection(notablythe3ofSwordsand10ofWands).The
deckcontainsmanyechoesofSmithsillustrationstyle,whichshows
shehadagooddealofautonomyincreatingtheMinorArcanaimages.
AlthoughbothWaiteandSmithhadbeenmembersoftheGolden
Dawn,theydidnotcreateaGoldenDawndeck.WaitebasedhisMajor
ArcanaimageryonEliphasLevisandPaulChristiansEgyptianizeddescriptionsofthetrumps,aswellas
ChristiansymbolismandGoldenDawnastrologicalattributions.Hisdivinatorymeaningsdrawheavilyon
Etteilla.TheminorArcanaimagesillustrateahodgepodgeofinfluencesfromEtteilla,TheGoldenDawnsBookT,
The15thcenturySolaBuscadeckintheBritishMuseum,andSmithsownimagination.
TheMajorArcanaarebasedontheTarotdeMarseilleswithflourishesfromEliphasLevis
descriptionsandWaitespersonalsymbolism.Thecardmeaningsaredrawnpartlyfromthe
GoldenDawnandpartlyfromEtteilla.Mostimportantly,Waitedoesnotassociatethe
Hebrewalphabetwiththecards,whichistheessenceofoccultTarot.Thelackofovert
occultattributionsandtheChristiansymbolismsetthisdeckapartfromotheroccultdecksof
thetimesuchastheEgyptiandecksorOswaldWirthsdeck.
Thedeckmusthavebeeninstantlypopularsincethebookanddeck
werepiratedbyAmericanpublisherDeLaurencein1916.U.S.
Games,Inc.acquiredexclusiverightstotheRiderWaitenamein
1971.TheoriginalplatesweredestroyedduringWWII,andSmiths
originaldrawingshavedisappeared,sotheU.S.Games1971
printingisprobablytheclosesttotheoriginalthatsavailablenow.
Before1971,UniversityPresswasthebiggesttarotpublisherinthe
U.S,producinganeasilyidentifiableRiderWaitedeckwithan
ankhonthecardbacks.TheAlbanoWaiteandUniversalWaitearerecoloredversionsofthe1971U.S.Games
deck.In2009,tocommemorateSmiths100thbirthday,U.S.Gamesissuedacommemorativebookanddeckset
basedona1909deckinaprivatecollection.
TheRiderWaiteSmithdeckhasinspiredhundredsofimaginativespinoffslikethe
MorganGreer,RobinWood,HansonRoberts,Hudes,andAquariandecks.Ithas
permeatedAngloAmericantarotandbecometheparadigmandtouchstonethroughwhich
wethinkaboutTarot.Deckcreatorsfeelcompelledtopayhomagetothisdeckbymodeling
theirdesignsonit.MostLWBs(littlewhitebooksthataccompanydecks)useRWScard
meanings,evenwhentheydontcorrespondtotheaccompanyingcards.Deckswithscenes
illustratedonall78cardsfacilitateapsychological,freeassociationapproachtocard
readingwhichwasTarotsnextmajortransformation.
Onthenextpage,TarotjumpstheAtlantictotheUnitedStates.
