6,493
edits
Difference between revisions of "Pamela Colman Smith"
no edit summary
Occultwiki (talk | contribs) |
Occultwiki (talk | contribs) |
||
| Line 18: | Line 18: | ||
In 1903, Smith launched her own magazine under the title ''The Green Sheaf'', with contributions by Yeats, Christopher St John (Christabel Marshall), Cecil French, A. E. (George William Russell), Gordon Craig (Ellen Terry's son), Dorothy Ward, John Todhunter, and others. The Green Sheaf survived for a little over a year, a total of [[13 (number)|13]] issues. | In 1903, Smith launched her own magazine under the title ''The Green Sheaf'', with contributions by Yeats, Christopher St John (Christabel Marshall), Cecil French, A. E. (George William Russell), Gordon Craig (Ellen Terry's son), Dorothy Ward, John Todhunter, and others. The Green Sheaf survived for a little over a year, a total of [[13 (number)|13]] issues. | ||
Discouraged by The Green Sheaf's lack of financial success, Colman shifted her efforts towards setting up a small press in London. In 1904, she established The Green Sheaf Press which published a variety of novels, poems, fairy tales, and folktales until at least 1906, mostly by women writers. | Discouraged by The Green Sheaf's lack of financial success, Colman shifted her efforts towards setting up a small press in London. In 1904, she established The Green Sheaf Press which published a variety of novels, poems, [[fairy]] tales, and folktales until at least 1906, mostly by women writers. | ||
===Occult involvement=== | ===Occult involvement=== | ||
Yeats introduced Smith to the [[Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn]], which she joined in 1901 and in the process met [[A.E. Waite]]. When the Golden Dawn splintered due to personality conflicts, Smith moved with Waite to the Independent and Rectified Rite of the Golden Dawn (or Holy Order of the Golden Dawn). In 1909, Waite commissioned Smith to produce a tarot deck with appeal to the world of art, and the result was the unique Waite–Smith | Yeats introduced Smith to the [[Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn]], which she joined in 1901 and in the process met [[A.E. Waite]]. When the Golden Dawn splintered due to personality conflicts, Smith moved with Waite to the Independent and Rectified Rite of the Golden Dawn (or Holy Order of the Golden Dawn). | ||
In 1909, Waite commissioned Smith to produce a [[tarot]] deck with appeal to the world of art, and the result was the unique [[Rider-Waite–Smith Tarot]]. Published by William Rider & Son of London, it has endured as the world's most popular 78-card tarot deck. The innovative cards depict full scenes with figures and symbols on all of the cards including the pips, and Smith's distinctive drawings have become the basis for the design of many subsequent packs. | |||
==The Rider-Waite Tarot== | ==The Rider-Waite Tarot== | ||
| Line 27: | Line 29: | ||
The 78 illustrations that make up the [[Rider-Waite Tarot]] deck "represent archetypal subjects that each become a portal to an invisible realm of signs and symbols, believed to be channeled through processes of divination." They are original works of art and unique in terms of the cards' stylization, draftsmanship, and composition, which is a significant aesthetic achievement. They are one of the best examples of Smith's jaw-dropping imagination for fantasy, folly, ecstasy, death, and the macabre. | The 78 illustrations that make up the [[Rider-Waite Tarot]] deck "represent archetypal subjects that each become a portal to an invisible realm of signs and symbols, believed to be channeled through processes of divination." They are original works of art and unique in terms of the cards' stylization, draftsmanship, and composition, which is a significant aesthetic achievement. They are one of the best examples of Smith's jaw-dropping imagination for fantasy, folly, ecstasy, death, and the macabre. | ||
When Smith's tarot was first published by Rider, in England, in December 1909, it was simply called ''Tarot Cards'' and it was accompanied by [[A.E. Waite|Arthur Edward Waite]]'s guide entitled ''[[The Key to the Tarot]]''. The following year Waite added Smith's black-and-white drawings to the book and published it as ''The Pictorial Key to the Tarot''. In 1971, U.S. Games bought the | When Smith's tarot was first published by Rider, in England, in December 1909, it was simply called ''Tarot Cards'' and it was accompanied by [[A.E. Waite|Arthur Edward Waite]]'s guide entitled ''[[The Key to the Tarot]]''. The following year Waite added Smith's black-and-white drawings to the book and published it as ''The Pictorial Key to the Tarot''. In 1971, [[U.S. Games Systems]] bought the rights to publish the deck and published it under the title "The Rider Tarot Deck." | ||
In later editions they changed the name to Rider Tarot and then Rider Waite Tarot. Today most scholars, in order to recognize the importance of Smith's contribution, refer to the deck as the Waite–Smith Tarot. Tarot writers often refer to the deck with the simple abbreviation of RWS, for Rider–Waite–Smith. | In later editions they changed the name to "Rider Tarot" and then "Rider Waite Tarot." Today most scholars, in order to recognize the importance of Smith's contribution, refer to the deck as the "Waite–Smith Tarot." Tarot writers often refer to the deck with the simple abbreviation of "RWS," for "Rider–Waite–Smith." | ||
In the century since the deck's first printing, there have been dozens of editions put out by various publishers; for some of these the Smith drawings were redrawn by other artists, and for others the cards were rephotographed to create new printing plates. Many versions have been recolored as the coloration is rather harsh in the original deck, due to the limitations of color printing at the time. One example is the 1968 Albano-Waite tarot, which has brighter colors overlaid on the same pen-and-ink drawings. Some recent U.S. Games editions have removed Smith's hand-drawn titles for each card, substituting text in a standard typeface. Altogether, these decks encompass the full range from editions very closely based on the original printings to decks that can at most be termed 'inspired' by the Waite–Smith deck. | In the century since the deck's first printing, there have been dozens of editions put out by various publishers; for some of these the Smith drawings were redrawn by other artists, and for others the cards were rephotographed to create new printing plates. Many versions have been recolored as the coloration is rather harsh in the original deck, due to the limitations of color printing at the time. One example is the 1968 Albano-Waite tarot, which has brighter colors overlaid on the same pen-and-ink drawings. Some recent U.S. Games editions have removed Smith's hand-drawn titles for each card, substituting text in a standard typeface. Altogether, these decks encompass the full range from editions very closely based on the original printings to decks that can at most be termed 'inspired' by the Waite–Smith deck. | ||
| Line 35: | Line 37: | ||
Waite is often cited as the designer of the Waite–Smith Tarot, but it would be more accurate to consider him as half of a design team, with responsibility for the major concepts, the structure of individual cards, and the overall symbolic system. Because Waite was not an artist himself, he commissioned Smith to create the actual deck. | Waite is often cited as the designer of the Waite–Smith Tarot, but it would be more accurate to consider him as half of a design team, with responsibility for the major concepts, the structure of individual cards, and the overall symbolic system. Because Waite was not an artist himself, he commissioned Smith to create the actual deck. | ||
===Work on the deck=== | |||
It is likely that Smith worked from Waite's written and verbal instructions rather than from sketches; that is, from detailed descriptions of the desired designs. This is how illustrators often work, and as a commercial illustrator, Smith would probably have been comfortable with such a working process. It appears that Waite provided detailed instructions mainly or exclusively for the [[Major Arcana]], and simple lists of meanings for the Minor Arcana or 'pip' cards. Thus the memorable scenes of the Minor Arcana owe largely to Smith's own invention. The [[Minor Arcana]] are indeed one of the notable achievements of this deck, as most earlier tarot decks (especially those of the Marseilles type) have extremely simple pip cards. Smith's innovative illustrations for the Minor Arcana, with their rich symbolism, made the Waite–Smith deck a widely imitated model for other tarot decks. | It is likely that Smith worked from Waite's written and verbal instructions rather than from sketches; that is, from detailed descriptions of the desired designs. This is how illustrators often work, and as a commercial illustrator, Smith would probably have been comfortable with such a working process. It appears that Waite provided detailed instructions mainly or exclusively for the [[Major Arcana]], and simple lists of meanings for the Minor Arcana or 'pip' cards. Thus the memorable scenes of the Minor Arcana owe largely to Smith's own invention. The [[Minor Arcana]] are indeed one of the notable achievements of this deck, as most earlier tarot decks (especially those of the Marseilles type) have extremely simple pip cards. Smith's innovative illustrations for the Minor Arcana, with their rich symbolism, made the Waite–Smith deck a widely imitated model for other tarot decks. | ||