Rider-Waite Tarot Deck - Overview

Overview

While the images are deceptively simple, almost childlike, the details and backgrounds hold a wealth of symbolism. Some imagery remains close to that found in earlier decks, but overall the Waite-Smith card designs represent a substantial departure from their predecessors. Among other changes, Waite had the Christian imagery of most older tarot decks' cards toned down—the 'Pope' card became the 'Hierophant', the 'Papess' became the 'High Priestess'. The Minor Arcana are illustrated with detailed scenes and images by Smith, again a departure from many earlier decks with much simpler designs for the Minor Arcana (but aligning this deck with, for example, the Sola Busca Tarot). The symbols used were influenced by the 19th century magician and occultist Eliphas Levi.