Tarot deck 1909 · UK

Rider–Waite–Smith Tarot

The deck that defined modern tarot.

The Rider–Waite–Smith Tarot (1909) is the foundational deck of modern cartomancy: 78 cards conceived by Arthur Edward Waite and illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith. It was the first mass-market deck with fully illustrated Minor Arcana.

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Cards
78
Major Arcana
22
Minor Arcana
56
RT Rider–Waite–Smith Tarot

What makes it matter

  • First deck in history with fully illustrated scenic Minor Arcana, inspired by the 15th-century Sola Busca Tarot
  • Major Arcana realigned to the Golden Dawn's zodiacal sequence: Strength moved to VIII, Justice to XI
  • Built on the Qabalistic Tree of Life: 4 suits = 4 worlds, 10 pip ranks = 10 Sephirot, 22 trumps = 22 paths
  • Over 100 million copies in circulation in more than 20 countries
  • Source of the Celtic Cross spread and the 'Fool's Journey' reading of the Major Arcana
  • The structural blueprint for nearly every modern tarot deck

About the deck

First published in December 1909 by William Rider & Son of London, the Rider–Waite–Smith Tarot transformed tarot from an obscure Continental curiosity into the world's most widely used tool for divination and self-reflection. The deck was conceived by Arthur Edward Waite, a scholar of Western mysticism, and painted by Pamela Colman Smith. Both were initiates of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the secret society whose teachings shaped the deck's inner architecture.

Its great revolution was visual. Where earlier decks such as the Tarot of Marseilles showed only geometric arrangements of suit symbols on the Minor Arcana, Smith gave every one of the 56 suit cards a full allegorical scene: human figures and landscapes that make each card's meaning legible on sight. Drawing on the 15th-century Sola Busca Tarot and on her own background in theatre design, she created images that read like frozen moments on a stage, open to intuition even for a complete beginner.

Beneath the accessible surface lies a rigorous esoteric system. Waite realigned the Major Arcana to the Golden Dawn's astrological correspondences — famously swapping Strength and Justice — and bound the whole deck to the Qabalistic Tree of Life: four suits for the four worlds of creation, ten pip ranks for the ten Sephirot, twenty-two trumps for the twenty-two connecting paths. With over one hundred million copies in circulation, the Rider–Waite–Smith deck remains the visual and structural blueprint for nearly every tarot deck published since.

The deck at a glance

Created by
Arthur Edward Waite
Illustrated by
Pamela Colman Smith
First published by
William Rider & Son
Year
1909
Country
UK
Tradition
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Also known as
Rider Tarot, Rider–Waite Tarot, Waite–Smith Tarot, Smith–Waite Tarot, RWS
Influences
Sola Busca Tarot (c. 1491), Tarot of Marseilles, Hermetic Qabalah and the Tree of Life, Golden Dawn astrological correspondences
Court ranks
Page · Knight · Queen · King
Reversals
Read upright and reversed
Recommended spreads
Celtic Cross, Three Card, Card Of The Day
Best for
Beginner

Esoteric correspondences

Astrology Numerology Kabbalah Elements

On every card page

Each of the deck's cards is described through the same set of lenses, so you can compare like with like.

Card at a glance The card in each deck Imagery and symbolism Core meaning Upright meaning Reversed meaning Historical notes Correspondences Psychological perspective The card across decks In combination and context Questions for reflection Frequently asked questions

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Frequently asked questions

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