Comments on: The art of Pamela Colman Smith, 1878–1951

By: lady cristobel

lady cristobel — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 21:15:03 +0000

I have just discovered this conversation and am delighted to find it. I am a Tarot reader of only some three years’ standing and have made my focus for readings the Rider Waite deck, and now the Universal Waite deck because I like to see the extra detail and the brighter colours.

Altho I don’t know whether PCS or AEW was responsible for the actual characters and their historical costumes in the PCS deck, I am very impressed – as a medieval re-enactor – with the authenticity of the people’s fifteenth century garments. I am a costume maker myself and have researched the 1400 to 1500 period in some detail, and PCS’s drawings are nicely authentic. The majority of the cards set the scene with nobles and gentry in wealthy people’s clothes, usually with elaborate headwear (like chaperones and other elaborate hats) just as we see in Les Tres Riches Heures du Duc du Berry, which was painted around 1412.

PCS sets her cast of characters in beautiful patterned fabrics, like the art nouveau fabrics of Liberty and Morris, and heavily-lined and trimmed garments flowing along the ground as displays of their opulence and riches.

PCS certainly did her homework before drawing these clever designs, and of course the 19th century had already see the pre-Raphelites drawing on the 15th century to developing their gothic/romantic art works at the same time.

I was also interested in the similarity between PCS’s three of cups card and Botticelli’s The Three Graces.

By: John

John — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 14:24:25 +0000

Thanks Anne, there's another 1970s deck of note, mainly for the artist. The Tarot of the Witches was created by Fergus Hall and can be seen throughout the James Bond film, Live and Let Die. I like Hall's unusual paintings although it seems some Tarot aficionados don't, they regard them as too strange. Hall's work adorned the sleeve of A Young Person's Guide to King Crimson in 1975 which is where I first saw his name. The painting on the back is a variation of the one used for The World in the Major Arcana. I think it was only when I searched for him on the web some years ago I realised he'd also painted the Bond deck.

By: Anne S

Anne S — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 10:35:39 +0000

There was also the rather beautiful Aquarian Tarot Deck back in the 1970s

By: John

John — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 18:57:05 +0000

Seek and ye shalt find: the Ancient Egyptian Tarot I liked was created by René Schwaller de Lubicz in the 1920s. It's been re-drawn a lot since but I prefer the simple designs of the original cards.

By: John

John — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 18:48:29 +0000

Beyond the traditional Tarot decks I'm not very familiar with the field. There's been a huge explosion in deck designs over the past decade or so, it's suddenly a very crowded world although I've yet to see many designs which I find attractive. I have a Giger set but they're simply his Seventies paintings stuck into the Major Arcana. I also have the deck which came with the CD reissue of Tarot by the Cosmic Couriers but never liked Walter Wegmüller's drawings, they're naive in a bad way. I had a book years ago full of different designs and there was a modern set in there which I liked, very stylised drawings in the manner of Ancient Egyptian art. I don't have that book any more, however, so I've no idea who the artist was.

By: Márcio Salerno

Márcio Salerno — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 13:10:32 +0000

That’s it, man! Pamela is my muse in what concerns Tarot cards, being the first artist to give visual to the Minor arcana. As I told you, I use that deck also, alongsideThot and Marceille. But I have a special feeling with this and Crowley’s.
Hey, how about putting some more Tarot cards in your blog, for us buffers to travel high with the images?

All the best!