Pamela Colman Smith: The Artist Who Brought The RWS to Life
I come across this sentiment now and again, that suggests Pamela Colman Smith (illustrator of the RWS tarot) has just been discovered. Maybe some folks are genuinely only now uncovering her name and contribution, but that doesn’t mean this information, today, is being actively suppressed. At some point throughout history, yes, she may have been relatively unknown. But, those days are long over, and the secret is no more. If you don’t know who Pamela Colman Smith is, and you read tarot, particularly a RWS deck or variant, it’s time to get on board!
Pamela surrounded by examples of her art, along with her iconic signature.
The reality is, there is a lot of information available about this deck and its creators. It would take a quick Google search to find a number of well researched, accurate and traditionally published resources detailing the history of (arguably) the most popular tarot deck on the planet.
And, Pamela’s contribution to the RWS cannot be understated! While Waite dictated the majors to her, Smith was given reign with the minors. Even though she was influenced by the Sola Busca, we can easily see where her vision and intuition took over to create the vibrant images we have today; images that paved the way for pretty much every tarot deck that followed. Smith also leaned heavily on the people, places and things she loved, as a way to bring life to the cards. For example, she was heavily involved in the theatre scene at the time, and as such, we see many nods to performance and consume in her designs. She had the remarkable ability of creating images that were not only personal to her, but also highly accessible to the collective.
Pamela Colman Smith deserves a lot of credit for the work she did and luckily, many authors and historians would agree! So, if you’re new to tarot, or just looking to get a little more informed on the lineage of this incredible tool, and its artist, we’ve compiled a list of resources for you to explore. Enjoy!
Pamela Colman Smith: The Untold Story by Stuart Kaplan (published by U.S. Games)
Pamela Colman Smith The Commemorative Set by Stuart Kaplan (tarot deck and book) - This set contains the Centennial Edition of the RWS, which is by far my favourite edition in terms of colouring, cardstock and back design. The set is also fantastic as it contains additional art work by Pamela (outside of her work with tarot). It is truly a homage to Pamela - her artistry and influence. I’ve shared an image of the set below!
Pamela Colman Smith: Life and Work by Colleen Lynch & Melissa Staiger
Pamela Colman Smith: The Pious Pixie by Dawn G. Robinson (published by Fonthill Media)
Secrets of the Waite Smith Tarot by Marcus Katz & Tali Goodwin (published by Llewellyn) - I personally love this resource because it goes so deep into not just the history of the deck, but the lives of both A.E. Waite and Pamela Colman Smith, even documenting the people and places in their lives that helped shape the deck.
Women of the Golden Dawn by Mary K. Greer (published by Park Street Press) - This book touches on Pamela Colman Smith along with other prominent female members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
A sample of what you'll find in the Commemorative set.
We hope you enjoyed these resources and if you liked what you found here, please know there is also so much more to discover! Remember - tarot is full of mystery (and we rather like it that way), but some things are also very well documented. Let’s empower ourselves to stay informed and uncover the information that is of interest to us. We believe we’ll all be better readers and students of this work as a result.