Tarot Through the Ages

Tarot cards, in the images we are most familiar withconceived by the well-known Tarot authority A. E.
today, evolved from a kind of table game played inWaite, and published in 1902 by the Ryder Co. The
15th century Italy, becoming popular throughoutsimplified graphic style of this deck retains the historic
Europe over the next four centuries.symbolism of earlier decks, but seems fresh and
To fully explore the history of Tarot, you can readaccessible to modern sensibilities.
the expansive book by Michael Dummet, "The GameOther Tarot scholars are convinced that Tarot has its
of Tarot: From Ferrara to Salt Lake City"roots in an even earlier time. They see relationships
(Duckworth, 1980). Dummet, a British philosopher ofto the Kabbalah, or to Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.
high regard, is the author of many books on theCards, for games or prophesy, were used in China
Tarot. His scholarship on Tarot is extensive, andcenturies before they found their way to Europe in
provides much of the research available on the originsthe 14th Century, and may have been the original
of the Tarot deck and its variations.incarnation of the Tarot.
Tarot originally would have been a pastime of theIt may be more likely that the Tarot was brought to
leisure class, those with the time and money toEurope through card games that were popular in the
spend on games. Certainly at that time the cardsold world Arabia. In 18th Century France, Antoine
were handmade and illustrated by artists, and eachCourt de Gebelin, promoted the concept that the
set would vary with the individual artist'sTarot was derived from mystic practices in Ancient
representation of the card's images. Especially fromEgypt, which he described in his multi-volumed work,
the 15th to the 18th centuries in Europe, variations ofLe Monde Primitif. Another Frenchman, Etteillla, is
Tarot games were wildly popular, enjoyed by peopleconsidered to be the first to recreate the Tarot as a
of some wealth and intellect, very much like chess or"fortune-telling" device. He is essentially the first
bridge. Through the 1700's Tarot was an absoluteTarot reader. Reproductions of his Book of Thoth
craze across the entire continent.Tarot and other publications by Etteilla are still
There are several Tarot decks that have come toavailable today.
represent a familiar iconography, each with their ownTarot reading emerged as a new construct during
history, interpretation and devotees. The 15ththe Victorian Age's embrace of spiritualism and the
Century Italian Visconti-Sforza deck is probably theoccult, setting the foundation for what would
earliest surviving deck of this era, with original cardsbecome the New Age school of thought on Tarot
in the collections of several museums around thethat we know today.
world. These beautiful, artistic images are reproducedThere is extensive scholarship and research available
frequently.on the history of the Tarot, whether from on-line
A 19th century version from the south of France,sources or in libraries, for anyone who is interested in
known as the Tarot de Marseille, is a very popularexploring the subject. For most of us, though, the
deck in Europe.history is not as compelling as the question of how
In the United States, the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarotthe Tarot is meaningful in our lives now.
deck is the most commonly used today. It was