Smith-Waite Centennial Tarot Deck by Pamela Colman Smith

Faithful 1909 reproduction. The deck reproduces Pamela Colman Smith's original artwork in the soft, muted colors she chose herself, rather than the brighter palette of later Rider-Waite printings.

Traditional bordered format. Classic white borders frame each card, making this the choice for readers who love the familiar, historical presentation.

84 cards with bonus artwork. The deck pairs the full 78-card tarot with bonus cards reproducing samples of Pixie's non-tarot art, along with an instruction booklet.

From the publisher, U.S. Games Systems: the Smith-Waite Centennial Tarot Deck is a faithful reproduction of the original deck created by Pamela Colman Smith in 1909 under the direction of Arthur E. Waite. It features full pictorial scenes in the muted colors chosen by Pixie herself, and was first issued in 2009 as part of the Pamela Colman Smith Commemorative Set. This standalone version lets collectors keep their commemorative sets pristine while still reading with the deck. The 84-card deck includes the full 78-card tarot plus bonus cards reproducing samples of Pixie's non-tarot artwork.

Pamela Colman Smith (1878-1951), nicknamed Pixie, was a Jamaican-British artist, illustrator, and member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Long under-credited for her role, she is now widely recognized as the creative force behind the world's most influential tarot imagery.

• 84-card deck: the full 78-card tarot plus bonus cards of Pixie's non-tarot artwork
• Instruction booklet included
• Format: traditional bordered cards
• Palette: muted colors chosen by Pamela Colman Smith
• Art: Pamela Colman Smith, under the direction of A.E. Waite
• Publisher: U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
• First issued: 2009, for the deck's centennial
• ISBN: 9781572817623
• SKU: DSMIWAI

It is hard to overstate the influence of the deck Pamela Colman Smith illustrated in 1909. Before it, most tarots left the Minor Arcana as plain arrangements of suit symbols; Smith gave every one of the 78 cards a full illustrated scene, a person, a moment, a story, and in doing so made the tarot legible to anyone. Nearly every modern deck descends from her work, and nearly every tarot book describes her images.

For a long time the deck was called simply Rider-Waite, after its publisher and the man who directed it, while the artist who actually drew it went largely unnamed. Restoring Smith to the title, as Smith-Waite or Waite-Smith, is part of a wider effort to honor her enormous, once-overlooked contribution.

To read with this deck is to work with the foundational language of modern tarot. The Major Arcana trace the soul's journey, the four suits map the textures of daily life, and because the imagery is the reference point for a century of tarot scholarship, whatever you learn here will carry over to almost any other deck you pick up.

1. When the deck is new, clear it in whatever way suits you: passing it through cleansing smoke, resting it under the moon, or simply shuffling while you set your intention for your work together.
2. Spend time with the imagery. Because this is the foundational Rider-Waite-Smith deck, its scenes are the ones nearly every tarot book describes.
3. Choose a spread, whether a single daily card, a three-card line, or a fuller layout, and shuffle while holding your question in mind.
4. Read the cards with the booklet or any Rider-Waite-Smith guide close at hand, letting the images guide your intuition.
5. Close your reading with a moment of thanks or reflection, and store the cards somewhere that feels right, wrapped in cloth or kept in their box.

• Smith-Waite Borderless Tarot Deck: the same muted 1909 artwork with the white borders removed, for edge-to-edge, immersive reading.
• Tarot Original 1909: Lo Scarabeo's restoration of the actual December 1909 first edition, for purists who want the earliest colors and details.
• Tarot Vintage: an antiqued, linen-finish take on the same imagery, for readers who want an aged, well-loved look.
• Ultimate Guide to the Rider Waite Tarot: a card-by-card companion that maps directly onto this deck's imagery.
• White Sage Smudge Sticks, Set of 6: cleanse your deck and reading space with sacred smoke before you begin.

How is the Centennial different from the other Waite-Smith editions you carry?

This edition is bordered, printed in Pixie's original muted 1909 colors, and published by U.S. Games with bonus art cards. The Borderless version removes the white borders; the Tarot Original 1909 is Lo Scarabeo's restoration of the actual first edition; and Tarot Vintage gives the art an antiqued, aged finish.

Why are the colors described as muted?

They reproduce the soft, subtle palette Pamela Colman Smith chose for the original 1909 printing, rather than the brighter, bolder colors used in many later Rider-Waite editions. Many readers find the gentler tones more atmospheric and historically true.

What are the extra cards in the 84-card deck?

Alongside the standard 78 tarot cards, the deck includes bonus cards reproducing samples of Pixie's non-tarot artwork. They are a small tribute to her wider career as an illustrator and are not used in readings.

Is this deck good for beginners?

Yes. It is the foundational Rider-Waite-Smith deck, so nearly every tarot book and online resource uses this exact imagery as its reference, which makes learning on it especially straightforward.

How do I cleanse or care for a tarot deck?

Many readers cleanse a new deck before first use by passing it through cleansing smoke, setting it under the moon, or knocking and reshuffling to reset its energy. Store the cards in their box or wrapped in cloth, keep them dry, and handle them with clean hands to protect the art.