1909 · The standard tradition
Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot
First published in 1909 by the Rider company, with artwork by Pamela Colman Smith and guidance from occultist A.E. Waite, this deck did something earlier tarot decks generally hadn't: it gave every one of the 56 Minor Arcana cards a full illustrated scene, not just a pattern of cups, wands, swords, or coins. That single choice is why it became the standard reference point for most tarot published since — the imagery itself teaches the meaning, which is exactly why TarotCards24 (and most beginner-facing tarot sites) is built on it.
Every card page on this site — all 78 of them — follows Rider-Waite-Smith's structure and imagery: 22 Major Arcana, and 56 Minor Arcana across four suits (Wands, Cups, Swords, Pentacles).
Frequently asked
Why does this site use Rider-Waite-Smith?
It's the most widely recognised tradition, and the Minor Arcana are fully illustrated with scenes rather than just suit symbols — which makes them far easier to learn from than Marseille-style pip cards.
Is Rider-Waite-Smith artwork copyrighted?
The original 1909 deck, illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith, is in the public domain in the US, the EU, and most countries (the artist died in 1951, and copyright terms have expired). Modern re-colored or re-illustrated editions can carry their own separate copyright.