The Rider-Waite tarot (also called Rider-Waite-Smith or Waite-Smith) is a 78-card tarot deck first published in 1909. It was conceived by mystic A. E. Waite and illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith, and published by the Rider company in London. It is the most widely used and influential tarot deck ...
The Rider-Waite tarot (also called Rider-Waite-Smith or Waite-Smith) is a 78-card tarot deck first published in 1909. It was conceived by mystic A. E. Waite and illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith, and published by the Rider company in London. It is the most widely used and influential tarot deck in the world, and the standard reference for modern card meanings.
If you’ve ever looked up a tarot meaning online, you were almost certainly reading the Rider-Waite system. Its great innovation was illustrating every card, including the numbered Minor Arcana, with a descriptive scene, instead of plain suit symbols. That made the cards readable at a glance and set the template nearly all later decks follow.
The 78 Rider-Waite Cards
A full Rider-Waite deck contains 78 cards in two groups:
The Major Arcana, 22 trump cards (The Fool to The World) for life’s major themes.
A. E. Waite, a scholar and member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, designed the deck’s symbolism, while artist Pamela Colman Smith, also a Golden Dawn member, painted all 78 cards. It was published in 1909 by William Rider & Son of London. For decades Smith received little credit; today the deck is often called Rider-Waite-Smith in recognition of her work.
Types of Tarot Decks
Rider-Waite is the most common deck, but it isn’t the only tradition. Compare its imagery, learning curve, and alternatives in our guide to the best tarot decks:
Deck
Era
What sets it apart
Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS)
1909
The most popular and influential tarot deck. Its fully illustrated scenes—even on the numbered Minor Arcana—made card meanings easy to read and became the standard for most modern decks.
Tarot de Marseille
17th-18th c.
One of the oldest standardized patterns. The Minor Arcana are non-scenic (pip cards show only suit symbols), so readings lean more on numerology and intuition.
Thoth Tarot
1969
Created by Aleister Crowley and painted by Lady Frieda Harris. Rich in astrological, kabbalistic, and esoteric symbolism, with renamed court cards (Knight, Queen, Prince, Princess).
Oracle decks
varies
Not true tarot—oracle decks have no fixed 78-card structure or suits. Each deck sets its own number of cards and themes, used alongside or instead of tarot.
Rider-Waite Tarot Deck at a Glance
Detail
Fact
Creator
Arthur Edward Waite (occultist and author)
Artist
Pamela Colman Smith
First published
1909
Original publisher
Rider & Company, London
Total cards
78 (22 Major Arcana + 56 Minor Arcana)
Also known as
Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) tarot
Copyright status
Original 1909 artwork is public domain in the US
Read Rider–Waite–Smith With Source Awareness
The deck is more accurately called Rider–Waite–Smith to recognize Pamela Colman Smith’s illustrations alongside A. E. Waite’s direction and Rider’s publication. Later editions vary in color, line work, titles, and reproduction quality.
When interpreting an image, identify the edition and compare it with the deck creator or publisher notes. Do not assume every modern recoloring preserves the same visual emphasis.
Worked Example
A reader studying the Six of Cups could compare figure direction, color, floral details, and the guidebook, then separate what is visible from an inherited keyword.
Other tarot lineages use different structures and images; Rider–Waite–Smith is influential, not universal.
A Three-Step Method
Identify the edition and image source.
Describe visible details before applying keywords.
Check how the card functions in the spread position.
Questions to Check
Which detail supports the interpretation?
Is a copied image permitted for the intended use?
How does another deck change the reading?
What comes from the card versus the reader’s expectation?
A Practical Review Pass
Use this as a short review cycle: Identify the edition and image source. Then describe visible details before applying keywords. Before settling on an interpretation, ask: Which detail supports the interpretation? Record the answer in plain language so the next action can be checked later rather than protected from contrary evidence.
Interpretive Boundary
For commercial image reproduction, verify current rights and source terms in the relevant jurisdiction. Tarot imagery does not guarantee predictions.
Keep the interpretation only when it improves a specific, observable choice. Revise or discard it when evidence, consent, context, or qualified guidance points elsewhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Rider-Waite tarot deck copyrighted?
The original 1909 Rider-Waite-Smith artwork is in the public domain in the United States, since it was published before 1923. In the UK and EU it entered the public domain in 2022, 70 years after artist Pamela Colman Smith died in 1951. The name “Rider-Waite” is a trademark of US Games Systems, which publishes the most widely sold modern editions.
What is the Rider-Waite tarot deck?
The Rider-Waite tarot (also called Rider-Waite-Smith or Waite-Smith) is a 78-card tarot deck first published in 1909. It was conceived by mystic A. E. Waite and illustrated by artist Pamela Colman Smith, and published by the Rider company in London. It is the most widely used tarot deck in the world.
Who created the Rider-Waite tarot?
The deck was designed by A. E. Waite, a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith. Because of Smith's central artistic role, it is increasingly called the Rider-Waite-Smith or Waite-Smith deck.
How many cards are in a tarot deck?
A standard tarot deck has 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana. The Minor Arcana are split into four suits (Wands, Cups, Swords, Pentacles) of 14 cards each, including four court cards per suit.
What makes the Rider-Waite deck special?
It was the first widely published deck to fully illustrate the Minor Arcana with descriptive scenes rather than plain suit symbols. This made the cards far easier to interpret and is why most modern tarot decks follow its imagery and meanings.
What are the different types of tarot decks?
The main traditions are the Rider-Waite-Smith (1909), the older Tarot de Marseille, and the esoteric Thoth deck (1969). Oracle decks are a separate category with no fixed 78-card structure.
Tarot practitioner and spiritual deck designer with expertise in oracle card systems and divination. Author of The Beginner's Journey to Tarot. Founder of Deckaura, home to 20+ free tarot and astrology tools and personalized readings prepared for each seeker.
