Pamela Colman Smith (1878–1951) painted all 78 cards of the tarot deck that Rider & Company published in London in 1909. Arthur Edward Waite designed the scheme; she painted the images that readers still recognise today.
This guide covers her life, how she made the deck, her style and why her name is now attached to it. If you want to hold her work, the Borderless Vintage Tarot Cards, Light Edition and Holographic Crystal Foil Tarot Cards use her original 1909 illustrations, and both come with a printed guidebook.
Her original art
Hold her 1909 illustrations
Borderless Vintage Tarot Cards — Light Edition, 1909 Classic Art
Both decks use Pamela Colman Smith's original 1909 illustrations, with a printed guidebook that covers all 78 cards.
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Holographic Crystal Foil Tarot Cards — 1909 Classic Art
Both decks use Pamela Colman Smith's original 1909 illustrations, with a printed guidebook that covers all 78 cards.
See this deckWho was Pamela Colman Smith? Her life from London to the stage
Smith was born in London in 1878 to American parents. Part of her childhood was spent in Jamaica. She later studied at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York.
Her path therefore ran through several places: London, where she was born, Jamaica, where she spent part of her childhood, Brooklyn, where she studied, and New York, where her work was shown in 1907.
She worked in the theatre and on stage sets, in the Lyceum circle that included Ellen Terry and Bram Stoker. She was also a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, an occult society. Theatre, symbolism and storytelling all shaped how she drew.
In 1907 her work was shown at Alfred Stieglitz's gallery "291" in New York. It was the first exhibition of non-photographic art held there, so she was already an exhibited artist before the tarot commission.
How was the 1909 deck made?
Waite designed the scheme of the deck, and Smith painted every one of the 78 cards. She did the work in about six months in 1909. Rider & Company published the deck in London in December of that year.
Waite designed the scheme; Smith painted all 78 cards and gave the scheme its visual form. The cards work because the two parts fit together: a clear plan on one side, vivid paintings on the other.
Smith was paid a flat fee. She received no royalties, so she did not share in what the deck earned in later years.
The work covered the whole deck: the 22 Major Arcana and the 56 Minor Arcana in four suits. Each of the 56 Minor cards carries a full scene, which was rare before 1909. These scenes are why many beginners find the deck easy to learn from the pictures alone. For the structure of the deck, see what the Rider-Waite tarot is.
Her style: stage-like scenes and bold outlines
Her cards read like small scenes from a play. Figures stand in front of simple backdrops, and their gestures, costumes and props tell the story at a glance. This is consistent with her years of theatre work.
Strong outlines and clear areas of colour keep each image readable. On the 1909 original, the heart pierced by three swords on the Three of Swords and the rainbow above the Ten of Cups are good examples: you understand the mood before you know the card name. Many cards of the 1909 original also carry her monogram, the letters PCS.
Because she drew people and places rather than abstract signs, you can often begin a reading by simply describing the card. Who is in the scene, what are they holding, where are they looking, and what is the weather or the landscape doing? A printed guidebook then helps you compare your first impression with the traditional meanings.
This way of reading is also why her style suits people who are new to tarot. A stage-like scene gives you a place to start, and the bold outlines make it easy to pick out the main figure, the objects in the hand and the setting before you look at the details.
Pamela Colman Smith timeline
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1878 | Pamela Colman Smith is born in London to American parents. |
| 1907 | Her work is shown at Alfred Stieglitz's gallery "291" in New York, the first exhibition of non-photographic art held there. |
| 1909 (about six months) | She paints all 78 cards of the tarot deck, working from the scheme designed by Arthur Edward Waite. |
| December 1909 | Rider & Company publishes the deck in London. |
| 1951 | She dies in Bude, Cornwall, in poverty. |
| 1971 | U.S. Games Systems begins publishing the Rider-Waite deck in the United States. |
| 2009 | The deck's centenary; recognition of her work rises sharply afterwards. |
Why does the deck now carry her name?
For many years the deck was known as the Rider-Waite tarot, after its publisher and its designer. The painter was not in the name. Later names such as Rider-Waite-Smith, Smith-Waite and RWS were adopted partly to credit her. For the full history of the deck itself, see our guide to the 1909 tarot, its cards and how to recognise it.
Readers, collectors and publishers increasingly name her when they talk about the cards. The change in the name follows a change in how the deck is understood: it is the work of two people, and the images are hers.
Her legacy
Smith died in 1951 in Bude, Cornwall, in poverty. Recognition of her work rose sharply after the 2009 centenary of the deck, and she is now widely credited as the artist behind it.
Her legacy is visible every time a reader describes a card from its picture. The scenes she painted in 1909 became the model that many later decks follow, whether they keep her drawings or build on her system in a new style.
If you want to place her tradition beside the older Marseille style and the Thoth deck, our comparison of the three traditions explains how they differ.
Which decks are based on her artwork today?
Many publishers sell decks based on Smith's 1909 artwork. Many keep her scenes and differ in card stock, finish, borders, size and box; some redraw or recolour them. If you are comparing editions, our guide to choosing between editions of this tradition lists what to check, whichever shop you buy from.
Our Borderless Vintage Light Edition and Holographic Crystal Foil use her original 1909 illustrations; Moonlight is based on her system and Moon Magic reinterprets it around the moon. Every deck ships with a printed guidebook. Buyers also receive a free beginner course in English, German, French, Italian or Spanish, and the shop has 20,000+ positive reviews on Etsy. Cards measure about 7 by 12 cm (roughly 2.75 by 4.7 inches).
Two more decks are built on her system. Moonlight Tarot Cards are based on her system, with gold and rainbow foil on black 350 gsm art cardstock, and Moon Magic Tarot Cards reinterpret it around lunar symbolism and simplify some of the classic pictures.
Built on her system
Prefer a moon-themed take?
Moon Magic Tarot Cards
Both decks are based on Pamela Colman Smith's system, with a moon-inspired look of their own.
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Moonlight Tarot Cards Gold Rainbow Foil
Both decks are based on Pamela Colman Smith's system, with a moon-inspired look of their own.
See this deckWhichever edition you choose, the images matter more than the finish. If you plan to handle the cards every day, laminated cards resist scratches and wipe clean, and a protective box keeps the deck in good condition between readings.
The two decks with her original illustrations suit different readers. The matte, borderless Light Edition has no glare under a reading lamp and has a warm palette of ochres and dusty blues. The holographic deck is more eye-catching, though the illustrations underneath are the ones she painted in 1909.
Questions about Pamela Colman Smith
Who was Pamela Colman Smith?
Pamela Colman Smith (1878–1951) was an artist born in London to American parents. She worked in theatre, exhibited in New York in 1907 and painted all 78 cards of the 1909 tarot.
Did Pamela Colman Smith design the deck?
Waite designed the scheme; Smith painted all 78 cards and gave the scheme its visual form. Without her paintings the scheme would have been a plan on paper.
Was Pamela Colman Smith paid fairly?
She received a flat fee and no royalties. She died in 1951 in Bude, Cornwall, in poverty, and recognition of her work rose sharply after the 2009 centenary.
What does the PCS monogram on the cards mean?
PCS stands for Pamela Colman Smith. Many cards of the 1909 original carry her monogram, and finding it is a simple way to see her hand in that deck.
Which decks are based on her artwork?
Our Borderless Vintage Light Edition and Holographic Crystal Foil use her original 1909 illustrations; Moonlight is based on her system and Moon Magic reinterprets it around the moon. Every deck ships with a printed guidebook; check card stock, finish and size when you compare any edition.
Pamela Colman Smith gave the tarot images that still guide beginners and experienced readers more than a century later. To see decks built on her work, browse our vintage tarot decks collection.
Rider-Waite is a registered trademark of U.S. Games Systems, Inc.; Dark Forest Tarot is not affiliated with U.S. Games Systems.
