1909 · 78 cards · William Rider & Son
Rider–Waite–Smith
The Rider–Waite–Smith deck was published in 1909: designed by Arthur Edward Waite, drawn by Pamela Colman Smith, 78 cards. The first deck to give every minor arcana card a full scene instead of a bare count of suit symbols. That single decision is why the minors can be read at all by a beginner, and why nearly every modern deck copies its imagery.
Who actually drew it
Pamela Colman Smith drew all 78 cards for a flat fee and no royalties. For most of the century the deck was named after Rider and Waite alone; the S was added to the name only after her contribution was reassessed.
Copyright
The original artwork entered the public domain in the UK in 1966 and in the US in 1985, which is why so many reprints and clones exist.
Where it sits among the others
| Deck | Published | Structure |
|---|---|---|
| Tarot de Marseille | 1650 | 78 cards, 22 major and 56 minor |
| Rider–Waite–Smith | 1909 | 78 cards, 22 major and 56 minor |
| Thoth | 1969 | 78 cards, 22 major and 56 minor |
| Dalí Universal Tarot | 1984 | 78 cards, 22 major and 56 minor |
| DruidCraft | 2004 | 78 cards, 22 major and 56 minor |
| The Wild Unknown | 2012 | 78 cards, 22 major and 56 minor |
The cards themselves
Our card meanings follow this deck’s structure, because nearly every modern guide does. All 78 are drawn in our own line style rather than reproduced.