The world’s most popular deck for a reason - the cards are full of rich and accessible symbolism that allow one to tap into deep universal truths and patterns. The Rider Waite Tarot has set the standard for hundreds of other tarot decks, which follow the archetypal images created by Pamela Colman Smith in 1909. Her vibrant drawings, guided by Arthur Edward Waite, continue to appeal to tarot lovers, especially those learning the tarot symbolism for the first time.
In 1909, Waite paid Smith a flat fee for illustrating his Tarot deck. He chose Pamela for the job because of her talent, their common membership in the Golden Dawn, and because he believed her clairvoyant abilities would help her perceive the higher mystical truths he was attempting to convey with his deck. She not only didn’t benefit financially from the deck, but the publisher’s name was put on the deck instead of hers. Recently, the tarot community has been correcting this injustice by referring to the deck as the Rider Waite Smith (RWS) or Waite Smith deck (WS)
