A closer look
Pamela Colman Smith is the artist who actually illustrated the world-famous Rider-Waite tarot deck, but she died entirely penniless and obscure because the guy who commissioned it took all the credit and the publishing money. She spent six months drawing all seventy-eight cards, creating the iconic, mystical imagery that every modern fortune teller and aesthetic witch still uses today on social media. For all her visionary talent in translating obscure occult symbolism into beautiful art, Arthur Edward Waite paid her a flat fee and slapped his own name on the deck, completely erasing her legacy for decades. The very tool people use to predict their future financial success and spiritual awakenings was born from one of the most brutal freelance gig economy rip-offs in esoteric history. Always remember to get royalties in your contract, because even the ability to paint the arcane secrets of the universe will not save you from a predatory publisher
