The Rider–Waite Tarot is a widely popular deck for tarot card reading,[1][2] first published by the Rider Company in 1909, based on the instructions of academic and mystic A. E. Waite and illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith, both members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Also known as the Waite–Smith,[3]Rider–Waite–Smith,[4][5] or Rider Tarot,[4] the deck has been published in numerous editions and inspired a wide array of variants and imitations.[6][7] Estimates suggest over 100 million copies of the deck circulate across 20 countries.[8]
While the images are simple, the details and backgrounds feature abundant symbolism. Some imagery remains similar to that found in earlier decks, but overall the Waite–Smith card designs are substantially different from their predecessors. Christian imagery was removed from some cards, and added to others. For example, the "Papess" became the "High Priestess" and no longer features a Papal tiara, while the "Lovers" card, previously depicting a medieval scene of a clothed man and woman receiving a blessing from a noble or cleric was changed to a depiction of the naked Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and the ace of cups featuring a dove carrying Sacramental bread. The Minor Arcana are illustrated with allegorical scenes by Smith, where earlier decks (with a few rare exceptions) had simple designs for the Minor Arcana.[9]
The symbols and imagery used in the deck were influenced by the 19th-century magician and occultist Eliphas Levi,[10][11] as well as by the teachings of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.[12] In order to accommodate the astrological correspondences taught by the Golden Dawn, Waite introduced several innovations to the deck. He switched the order of the Strength and Justice cards so that Strength corresponded with Leo and Justice corresponded with Libra.[13][14] He also based the Lovers card on Italian tarot decks, which have two persons and an angel, to reinforce its correspondence with Gemini.[13]
Major Arcanaedit
The Major Arcana of the Rider–Waite tarot are illustrated below.
The original roses and lilies card back design from 1909
The cards were first published during December 1909, by the publisher William Rider & Son of London.[9][13] The first printing was extremely limited and featured card backs with a roses and lilies pattern. A much larger printing was done during March 1910, featuring better quality card stock and a "cracked mud" card back design. This edition, often referred to as the "A" deck, was published from 1910 to 1920. Rider continued publishing the deck in various editions until 1939, then again from 1971 to 1977.
All of the Rider editions up to 1939 were available with a small guide written by A. E. Waite providing an overview of the traditions and history of the cards, texts about interpretations, and extensive descriptions of their symbols. The first version of this guide was published during 1909 and was titled The Key to the Tarot. A year later, a revised version, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, was issued, featuring black-and-white plates of all seventy-eight of Smith's illustrations.
In 2009, U.S. Games Systems published a commemorative deck titled "The Smith-Waite Centennial Deck" as part of The Pamela Colman Smith Commemorative Set celebrating the hundredth anniversary of the 1909 deck.[15] This deck notably places Smith's name first and omits the publisher's name (Rider). In this vein, some contemporary tarot readers call the original deck and its various iterations the "Smith-Waite deck" in order to give proper credit to Smith's contribution to the deck.[16]
Copyright statusedit
The original version of the Rider–Waite Tarot is in the public domain in all countries that have a copyright term of 70 years or fewer after the death of the last co-author. This includes the United Kingdom, where the deck was originally published.[17]
In the United States, the deck became part of the public domain in 1966 (publication + 28 years + renewed 28 years), and thus has been available for use by American artists for numerous different media projects. U.S. Games Systems has a copyright claim on their updated version of the deck published in 1971, but this only applies to new material added to the pre-existing work (e.g. designs on the card backs and the box).
Referencesedit
^Giles, Cynthia (1994). The Tarot: History, Mystery, and Lore. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 46. ISBN0-671-89101-4.
^Visions and Prophecies. Alexandria, Virginia: Time–Life Books. 1988. p. 142.
^Katz, Marcus; Goodwin, Tali (2015). Secrets of the Waite–Smith Tarot. Llewellyn Publications. ISBN978-0-7387-4119-2.
^ abMichelsen, Teresa (2005). The Complete Tarot Reader: Everything You Need to Know from Start to Finish. Llewellyn Publications. p. 105. ISBN0-7387-0434-2.
^Graham, Sasha (2018). Llewellyn's Complete Book of the Rider–Waite–Smith Tarot. Llewellyn Publications. ISBN978-0-7387-5319-5.
^Kaplan, Stuart R. (2018). Pamela Colman Smith: The Untold Story. Stamford, Connecticut: U.S. Game Systems. p. 371. ISBN978-1-57281-912-2.
^Dean, Liz (2015). The Ultimate Guide to Tarot: A Beginner's Guide to the Cards, Spreads, and Revealing the Mystery of the Tarot. Beverly, Massachusetts: Fair Winds Press. p. 9. ISBN978-1-59233-657-9.
^Ray, Sharmistha (23 March 2019). "Reviving a Forgotten Artist of the Occult". Hyperallergic. from the original on 23 March 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
^ abKaplan, Stuart R. (2018). Pamela Colman Smith: The Untold Story. Stamford, Connecticut: U.S. Game Systems. pp. 74–76. ISBN978-1-57281-912-2.
^Place, Robert M. (14 May 2015). "Levi's Chariot and Smith's Chariot Versus Waite's Chariot". Tarot & Divination Decks. from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
^Place, Robert M. (7 August 2015). "Smith, Waite, Levi, and the Devil". Tarot & Divination Decks. from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
^Decker, Ronald; Dummett, Michael (2019). A History of the Occult Tarot. London: Duckworth. pp. 139–141. ISBN978-0-7156-4572-7.
^ abcJensen, K. Frank (2005). "The Early Waite–Smith Tarot Editions". The Playing-Card. 34 (1). International Playing Card Society: 26–50.
^Decker, Ronald; Dummett, Michael (2019). A History of the Occult Tarot. London: Duckworth. pp. 82–84. ISBN978-0-7156-4572-7.
^"The Pamela Colman Smith Commemorative Set". from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
^"Pamela Colman Smith Was the Artist and Occultist Who Designed the Iconic Tarot Deck. Why Has No One Ever Heard Her Name?". 26 August 2022. from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
^"Ownership of copyright works – Detailed guidance". Gov.uk. 19 August 2014. from the original on 31 December 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
External linksedit
Media related to Rider-Waite tarot deck at Wikimedia Commons
Waite, Arthur Edward (January 1910). "The Tarot – A Wheel of Fortune" (PDF). The Occult Review – via Uri Raz's Tarot Site. Waite's announcement of the deck being published.
January 01, 1970
rider, waite, tarot, widely, popular, deck, tarot, card, reading, first, published, rider, company, 1909, based, instructions, academic, mystic, waite, illustrated, pamela, colman, smith, both, members, hermetic, order, golden, dawn, also, known, waite, smith,. The Rider Waite Tarot is a widely popular deck for tarot card reading 1 2 first published by the Rider Company in 1909 based on the instructions of academic and mystic A E Waite and illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith both members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn Also known as the Waite Smith 3 Rider Waite Smith 4 5 or Rider Tarot 4 the deck has been published in numerous editions and inspired a wide array of variants and imitations 6 7 Estimates suggest over 100 million copies of the deck circulate across 20 countries 8 A E Waite and Pamela Colman Smith Contents 1 Overview 2 Major Arcana 3 Minor Arcana 3 1 Wands 3 2 Cups 3 3 Swords 3 4 Pentacles 4 Publication 5 Copyright status 6 References 7 External linksOverview editWhile the images are simple the details and backgrounds feature abundant symbolism Some imagery remains similar to that found in earlier decks but overall the Waite Smith card designs are substantially different from their predecessors Christian imagery was removed from some cards and added to others For example the Papess became the High Priestess and no longer features a Papal tiara while the Lovers card previously depicting a medieval scene of a clothed man and woman receiving a blessing from a noble or cleric was changed to a depiction of the naked Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and the ace of cups featuring a dove carrying Sacramental bread The Minor Arcana are illustrated with allegorical scenes by Smith where earlier decks with a few rare exceptions had simple designs for the Minor Arcana 9 The symbols and imagery used in the deck were influenced by the 19th century magician and occultist Eliphas Levi 10 11 as well as by the teachings of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn 12 In order to accommodate the astrological correspondences taught by the Golden Dawn Waite introduced several innovations to the deck He switched the order of the Strength and Justice cards so that Strength corresponded with Leo and Justice corresponded with Libra 13 14 He also based the Lovers card on Italian tarot decks which have two persons and an angel to reinforce its correspondence with Gemini 13 Major Arcana editThe Major Arcana of the Rider Waite tarot are illustrated below nbsp 0 The Fool nbsp I The Magician nbsp II The High Priestess nbsp III The Empress nbsp IV The Emperor nbsp V The Hierophant nbsp VI The Lovers nbsp VII The Chariot nbsp VIII Strength nbsp IX The Hermit nbsp X Wheel of Fortune nbsp XI Justice nbsp XII The Hanged Man nbsp XIII Death nbsp XIV Temperance nbsp XV The Devil nbsp XVI The Tower nbsp XVII The Star nbsp XVIII The Moon nbsp XIX The Sun nbsp XX Judgement nbsp XXI The WorldMinor Arcana editThe Minor Arcana of the Rider Waite tarot are illustrated below Wands edit The suit of wands corresponding to the clubs of modern playing cards nbsp Ace of Wands nbsp Two of Wands nbsp Three of Wands nbsp Four of Wands nbsp Five of Wands nbsp Six of Wands nbsp Seven of Wands nbsp Eight of Wands nbsp Nine of Wands nbsp Ten of Wands nbsp Page of Wands nbsp Knight of Wands nbsp Queen of Wands nbsp King of Wands Cups edit The suit of goblets chalices or cups corresponding to the hearts of modern playing cards nbsp Ace of Cups nbsp Two of Cups nbsp Three of Cups nbsp Four of Cups nbsp Five of Cups nbsp Six of Cups nbsp Seven of Cups nbsp Eight of Cups nbsp Nine of Cups nbsp Ten of Cups nbsp Page of Cups nbsp Knight of Cups nbsp Queen of Cups nbsp King of Cups Swords edit The suit of swords corresponding to the spades of modern playing cards nbsp Ace of Swords nbsp Two of Swords nbsp Three of Swords nbsp Four of Swords nbsp Five of Swords nbsp Six of Swords nbsp Seven of Swords nbsp Eight of Swords nbsp Nine of Swords nbsp Ten of Swords nbsp Page of Swords nbsp Knight of Swords nbsp Queen of Swords nbsp King of Swords Pentacles edit The suit of coins or pentacles corresponding to the diamonds of modern playing cards nbsp Ace of Pentacles nbsp Two of Pentacles nbsp Three of Pentacles nbsp Four of Pentacles nbsp Five of Pentacles nbsp Six of Pentacles nbsp Seven of Pentacles nbsp Eight of Pentacles nbsp Nine of Pentacles nbsp Ten of Pentacles nbsp Page of Pentacles nbsp Knight of Pentacles nbsp Queen of Pentacles nbsp King of PentaclesPublication edit nbsp The original roses and lilies card back design from 1909 The cards were first published during December 1909 by the publisher William Rider amp Son of London 9 13 The first printing was extremely limited and featured card backs with a roses and lilies pattern A much larger printing was done during March 1910 featuring better quality card stock and a cracked mud card back design This edition often referred to as the A deck was published from 1910 to 1920 Rider continued publishing the deck in various editions until 1939 then again from 1971 to 1977 All of the Rider editions up to 1939 were available with a small guide written by A E Waite providing an overview of the traditions and history of the cards texts about interpretations and extensive descriptions of their symbols The first version of this guide was published during 1909 and was titled The Key to the Tarot A year later a revised version The Pictorial Key to the Tarot was issued featuring black and white plates of all seventy eight of Smith s illustrations In 2009 U S Games Systems published a commemorative deck titled The Smith Waite Centennial Deck as part of The Pamela Colman Smith Commemorative Set celebrating the hundredth anniversary of the 1909 deck 15 This deck notably places Smith s name first and omits the publisher s name Rider In this vein some contemporary tarot readers call the original deck and its various iterations the Smith Waite deck in order to give proper credit to Smith s contribution to the deck 16 Copyright status editThe original version of the Rider Waite Tarot is in the public domain in all countries that have a copyright term of 70 years or fewer after the death of the last co author This includes the United Kingdom where the deck was originally published 17 In the United States the deck became part of the public domain in 1966 publication 28 years renewed 28 years and thus has been available for use by American artists for numerous different media projects U S Games Systems has a copyright claim on their updated version of the deck published in 1971 but this only applies to new material added to the pre existing work e g designs on the card backs and the box References edit Giles Cynthia 1994 The Tarot History Mystery and Lore New York Simon amp Schuster p 46 ISBN 0 671 89101 4 Visions and Prophecies Alexandria Virginia Time Life Books 1988 p 142 Katz Marcus Goodwin Tali 2015 Secrets of the Waite Smith Tarot Llewellyn Publications ISBN 978 0 7387 4119 2 a b Michelsen Teresa 2005 The Complete Tarot Reader Everything You Need to Know from Start to Finish Llewellyn Publications p 105 ISBN 0 7387 0434 2 Graham Sasha 2018 Llewellyn s Complete Book of the Rider Waite Smith Tarot Llewellyn Publications ISBN 978 0 7387 5319 5 Kaplan Stuart R 2018 Pamela Colman Smith The Untold Story Stamford Connecticut U S Game Systems p 371 ISBN 978 1 57281 912 2 Dean Liz 2015 The Ultimate Guide to Tarot A Beginner s Guide to the Cards Spreads and Revealing the Mystery of the Tarot Beverly Massachusetts Fair Winds Press p 9 ISBN 978 1 59233 657 9 Ray Sharmistha 23 March 2019 Reviving a Forgotten Artist of the Occult Hyperallergic Archived from the original on 23 March 2019 Retrieved 14 March 2021 a b Kaplan Stuart R 2018 Pamela Colman Smith The Untold Story Stamford Connecticut U S Game Systems pp 74 76 ISBN 978 1 57281 912 2 Place Robert M 14 May 2015 Levi s Chariot and Smith s Chariot Versus Waite s Chariot Tarot amp Divination Decks Archived from the original on 12 August 2020 Retrieved 21 August 2020 Place Robert M 7 August 2015 Smith Waite Levi and the Devil Tarot amp Divination Decks Archived from the original on 30 September 2020 Retrieved 21 August 2020 Decker Ronald Dummett Michael 2019 A History of the Occult Tarot London Duckworth pp 139 141 ISBN 978 0 7156 4572 7 a b c Jensen K Frank 2005 The Early Waite Smith Tarot Editions The Playing Card 34 1 International Playing Card Society 26 50 Decker Ronald Dummett Michael 2019 A History of the Occult Tarot London Duckworth pp 82 84 ISBN 978 0 7156 4572 7 The Pamela Colman Smith Commemorative Set Archived from the original on 19 February 2023 Retrieved 19 February 2023 Pamela Colman Smith Was the Artist and Occultist Who Designed the Iconic Tarot Deck Why Has No One Ever Heard Her Name 26 August 2022 Archived from the original on 17 February 2023 Retrieved 19 February 2023 Ownership of copyright works Detailed guidance Gov uk 19 August 2014 Archived from the original on 31 December 2016 Retrieved 28 September 2016 External links edit nbsp Media related to Rider Waite tarot deck at Wikimedia Commons Waite Arthur Edward January 1910 The Tarot A Wheel of Fortune PDF The Occult Review via Uri Raz s Tarot Site Waite s announcement of the deck being published Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Rider Waite Tarot amp oldid 1222149408, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
