| Pamela Coleman Smith, once described – by Arthur Ransome - as “god-daughter of a witch and sister to a fairy”, a description she apparently loved, has for too long been the invisible strength behind what is still too often referred to as the Rider-Waite deck. In his book “The Artwork and Times of Pamela Coleman Smith”, one of many items in this commemorative set, author Stuart R Kaplan explains that “over the past 35 years, I have collected as much of Pamela Coleman Smith’s original artwork, books, letters, and other ephemera, as I was able to procure”. He shares much of this with us in his book, and in doing so finally offers her the long-overdue acclaim she deserves for her primary role in the creation of the Waite-Coleman – or Coleman-Waite - deck. As a result of Kaplan’s efforts, how wonderful it is that we are able to hear Pamela Coleman Smith’s voice, a hundred years later, in a letter full of exclamation marks and dated November 19 1909, when she writes “I’ve just finished a big job for very little cash! a set of designs for a pack of Tarot cards 80 designs”. The memorabilia includes the visitors’ books she kept from 1901 to 1905 which, as Kaplan says, reveal a great deal about her life, the influences on her and the famous literary identities – such as W.B Yeats, J.M. Barrie and Arthur Ransome – who were part of her circle of friends. This commemorative set is one everyone interested in tarot should have in their collection. It’s certainly given me a new appreciation both of this deck and of Pamela Coleman Smith’s major contribution to the tarot landscape as we know it today. |
