Honouring Pamela Coleman Smith

Illustrating the Arcane…Whose Name on the Cards?

Birthdays can be most useful. Particularly, because they permit busy-bodies such as myself to correct history under the polite guise of celebration. Today is the birthday of Pamela Coleman Smith. Pamela’s work has been handled, shuffled, breathed upon, and solemly consulted by millions who could not pick her out of a line-up of Edwardian librarians. Many a mystic, dilettante, sceptic, poet, cartomancer and scorned ex-lover will be familiar with, and may even own her works. Yet I doubt not half of them know her name, No Longer!