The Rider Tarot Deck

The Rider-Waite® Tarot Deck is the most recognized and influential tarot deck of all time, setting the standard for countless decks that followed. Originally published in 1909, it features the iconic artwork of Pamela Colman Smith under the guidance of Arthur Edward Waite. This edition preserves Smith’s original hand-drawn titles, maintaining the authenticity and historic significance of the deck.

Key Features:

• The Original Tarot Standard – The Rider-Waite® deck introduced fully illustrated Minor Arcana cards, making it easier for beginners and advanced readers to interpret without relying on guidebooks.
• Timeless Symbolism – Features the traditional imagery and esoteric meanings that have inspired tarot readers for over a century.
• Illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith – The deck showcases Smith’s ability to capture deep emotions and mystical elements, making it a powerful tool for divination.
• Recommended for All Skill Levels – Whether you’re a beginner learning tarot or an experienced reader seeking the original deck, this deck is a must-have.
• A Top Ten Tarot Deck – Named one of the Top Ten Tarot Decks of All Time by Aeclectic Tarot.
• Cards measure 2.75" x 4.75", packaged in the iconic yellow tuck box.

Discover the deck that shaped modern tarot reading and unlock the wisdom of the Rider-Waite® Tarot.

About the Creators:

Pamela Colman Smith
A talented artist and member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Smith’s artwork for this deck has influenced generations of tarot readers. Born February 16, 1878, in Middlesex, England to American parents, Smith's childhood years were spent between London, New York, and Kingston, Jamaica. During her teens, she traveled throughout England with the theatre company of Ellen Terry and Henry Irving. Thereafter, she began formal art training at Pratt Institute of Brooklyn, graduating in 1897.

Smith returned to England, where she became a theatrical designer for miniature theatre, and an illustrator -- mainly of books, pamphlets and posters. Around 1903, she joined the Order of the Golden Dawn. In 1909, under the guidance of Arthur Edward Waite, she undertook a series of seventy-eight allegorical paintings described by Waite as a rectified tarot pack. The designs, published in the same year by William Rider and Son, exemplify the mysticism, ritual, imagination, fantasy, and deep emotions of the artist.

Arthur Edward Waite
An esteemed occult scholar, Waite guided the creation of this deck, emphasizing mysticism over magic in its symbolism. Born in America in 1857, Waite was raised and educated as a Catholic in England. Beginning at the age of 21, Waite pursued research and writing on psychical and esoteric matters. Soon after joining the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, he became the Grand Master, and redirected the focus of the order from magic to mysticism. The Golden Order, whose structural hierarchy was based on the Kabbalah, is considered the single greatest 20th century influence on the occult. Waite was a prolific author of occult texts, works on the Holy Grail, and the body of mystical knowledge, which comprises the basis of modern Tarot. He is best known as the co-creator of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck and author of its companion volume The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, first published in 1910.

Rider-Waite Tarot was named one of the Top Ten Tarot Decks of All Time by Aeclectic Tarot.

Dimension: 2 3/4" x 4 3/4"