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A review by opheliafeyre
The Queen of Wands: The Story of Pamela Colman Smith, the Artist Behind the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck by Cat Willett
4.0
Book Review: The Queen of Wands – The Story of Pamela Colman Smith, the Artist Behind the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck* by Cat Willett
Publisher: Running Press
Release Date: 13th September, 2022 (US) / 29th September, 2022 (UK)
About the Author and Illustrator
Cat Willet is the writer and illustrator. She is a Brooklyn based artist and author. She has an MFA in illustration from the Fashion Institute of Technology, a BFA from the University at Buffalo with a minor in Art History. She also studied the Scuola Lorenzo de’ Medici in Italy.
Cat primarily works digitally or with ink on paper. Her drawings depict plant life and strong female figures that are deeply rooted in history – with some added whimsy. Her work has been featured by Apple, Madison Square Garden, Doc Martens and more.
About the Book
Here’s the blurb:
“Discover the life, work and magic of Pamela Colman Smith, the visionary artist behind the Rider-Waite tarot deck.
Seasoned readers and fledgling diviners alike turn to the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck in search of inspiration, understanding, and even a hint at the future. But the story of the cards’ art is less well known, with their brilliant creator’s name stripped away from the project for decades. Now, for the first time, mystics, art lovers, and fortune-tellers will uncover the magical story of Pamela Colman Smith, the creative force behind this singular tool of divination.
Beautifully illustrated by the artist Cat Willett, and inspired by the work of Pamela herself, the Queen of Wands celebrates the profound legacy of this mystical force and serves as an enchanted spark for witches, creatives and activists.”
My Thoughts
My immediate thoughts were how beautiful and aesthetically pleasing the books is. It opens with a lovely quote from Pamela Colman Smith and then a double page illustration that captures her words so perfectly. I knew straight away I was going to enjoy the book and that it would be a fitting tribute to Pamela Colman Smith.
The book explores Pamela’s life, from her childhood, to her work on the Rider-Waite deck, through to her later life. Starting with her early life, as a child in England, it explored a lot I didn’t know about her life. I don’t claim to be an expert on Pamela Colman Smith – I’ve come across bits about her due to her work with tarot – but I realised that’s all I really knew. It was a lot more detailed than I expected, especially because of the style, as the illustrations are the focus of the book.
I enjoyed learning about Pamela’s life and I was amazed to find, as a child, she was looked after by some very notable people. While her parents were on business she would be left in the care of Dame Ellen Terry – a leading Shakespearean actress, Bram Stoker – who of course wrote Dracula, and Henry Irving who was an actor at the time. It was little details like this that made the book so interesting.
I further appreciated the little ‘interludes’, from the creator herself. Cat occasionally breaks away from the history of Pamela’s life to discusses how Pamela entered her life, starting with how she became familiar with her and then the following influence she had throughout her life so far.
I imagine a lot of people interested in the book seek it out due to Pamela’s links to the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck.As well as offering a little history of tarot and its origins, it explores early tarot decks and how they inspired Pamela Colman Smith while she was illustrating her own interpretation of the cards.
Overall the book looks at Pamela’s life through a feminist lense, but I mean how could it not? The time during which she lived and worked was not a great time for women’s rights. Things were only just starting to happen in terms of the suffragette movement. Pamela did not get paid well for her work on the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, nor was she given the credit she deserved. Cat explores the feminist issue and the relevant context throughout the book including the effect that it had on Pamela’s life. It’s important to have this context to understand just how brave and ahead of her time Pamela was, not only as a woman, but as (as far as we can say) a Woman of Colour.
Final Thoughts
As I mentioned, The Queen of Wands is a lovely tribute to Pamela Colman-Smith. Unless you are into tarot, it’s likely that you’ve never heard of Pamela Colman-Smith, and even then her story is relatively unknown.
As new generations are introduced to tarot, (myself included) they have come across Pamela and want to celebrate and elevate her work. Feminism demands that women be appreciated for their work and there is no one more deserving that Pamela. Even over 100 years later.
I love how Cat has brought Pamela’s story to life through illustrations, a simple narrative, quotes and personal musings. An illustrated narrative is probably the best way to honour an artist’s life and Cat has done so with great care.
Any tarot lover would appreciate this book as a concise history of one of the most important figures in modern tarot. Similarly, any woman, girl or person that feels like an outsider will appreciate Pamela’s story, and Cat’s portrayal of her bravery and ability to remain true to herself, regardless of the adversity she faced.
*Book was gifted by the publisher in exchange for a review.
Publisher: Running Press
Release Date: 13th September, 2022 (US) / 29th September, 2022 (UK)
About the Author and Illustrator
Cat Willet is the writer and illustrator. She is a Brooklyn based artist and author. She has an MFA in illustration from the Fashion Institute of Technology, a BFA from the University at Buffalo with a minor in Art History. She also studied the Scuola Lorenzo de’ Medici in Italy.
Cat primarily works digitally or with ink on paper. Her drawings depict plant life and strong female figures that are deeply rooted in history – with some added whimsy. Her work has been featured by Apple, Madison Square Garden, Doc Martens and more.
About the Book
Here’s the blurb:
“Discover the life, work and magic of Pamela Colman Smith, the visionary artist behind the Rider-Waite tarot deck.
Seasoned readers and fledgling diviners alike turn to the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck in search of inspiration, understanding, and even a hint at the future. But the story of the cards’ art is less well known, with their brilliant creator’s name stripped away from the project for decades. Now, for the first time, mystics, art lovers, and fortune-tellers will uncover the magical story of Pamela Colman Smith, the creative force behind this singular tool of divination.
Beautifully illustrated by the artist Cat Willett, and inspired by the work of Pamela herself, the Queen of Wands celebrates the profound legacy of this mystical force and serves as an enchanted spark for witches, creatives and activists.”
My Thoughts
My immediate thoughts were how beautiful and aesthetically pleasing the books is. It opens with a lovely quote from Pamela Colman Smith and then a double page illustration that captures her words so perfectly. I knew straight away I was going to enjoy the book and that it would be a fitting tribute to Pamela Colman Smith.
The book explores Pamela’s life, from her childhood, to her work on the Rider-Waite deck, through to her later life. Starting with her early life, as a child in England, it explored a lot I didn’t know about her life. I don’t claim to be an expert on Pamela Colman Smith – I’ve come across bits about her due to her work with tarot – but I realised that’s all I really knew. It was a lot more detailed than I expected, especially because of the style, as the illustrations are the focus of the book.
I enjoyed learning about Pamela’s life and I was amazed to find, as a child, she was looked after by some very notable people. While her parents were on business she would be left in the care of Dame Ellen Terry – a leading Shakespearean actress, Bram Stoker – who of course wrote Dracula, and Henry Irving who was an actor at the time. It was little details like this that made the book so interesting.
I further appreciated the little ‘interludes’, from the creator herself. Cat occasionally breaks away from the history of Pamela’s life to discusses how Pamela entered her life, starting with how she became familiar with her and then the following influence she had throughout her life so far.
I imagine a lot of people interested in the book seek it out due to Pamela’s links to the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck.As well as offering a little history of tarot and its origins, it explores early tarot decks and how they inspired Pamela Colman Smith while she was illustrating her own interpretation of the cards.
Overall the book looks at Pamela’s life through a feminist lense, but I mean how could it not? The time during which she lived and worked was not a great time for women’s rights. Things were only just starting to happen in terms of the suffragette movement. Pamela did not get paid well for her work on the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, nor was she given the credit she deserved. Cat explores the feminist issue and the relevant context throughout the book including the effect that it had on Pamela’s life. It’s important to have this context to understand just how brave and ahead of her time Pamela was, not only as a woman, but as (as far as we can say) a Woman of Colour.
Final Thoughts
As I mentioned, The Queen of Wands is a lovely tribute to Pamela Colman-Smith. Unless you are into tarot, it’s likely that you’ve never heard of Pamela Colman-Smith, and even then her story is relatively unknown.
As new generations are introduced to tarot, (myself included) they have come across Pamela and want to celebrate and elevate her work. Feminism demands that women be appreciated for their work and there is no one more deserving that Pamela. Even over 100 years later.
I love how Cat has brought Pamela’s story to life through illustrations, a simple narrative, quotes and personal musings. An illustrated narrative is probably the best way to honour an artist’s life and Cat has done so with great care.
Any tarot lover would appreciate this book as a concise history of one of the most important figures in modern tarot. Similarly, any woman, girl or person that feels like an outsider will appreciate Pamela’s story, and Cat’s portrayal of her bravery and ability to remain true to herself, regardless of the adversity she faced.
*Book was gifted by the publisher in exchange for a review.