Occult Literature
The High Priestess: Pamela Colman Smith’s Tarot
A veiled seated woman occupies the space between a dark and a light pillar, with a crescent near her feet. Patterned fabric and a decorated crown enclose the central face. Smith makes the figure a still centre between two strongly opposed vertical forms. The letters on the pillars and the partially held scroll establish visible signs without turning the entire image into a diagram. The veil both decorates and closes the background.
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Citation
Pamela Colman Smith (design). "The High Priestess: Pamela Colman Smith’s Tarot" [editorial title]. In The Illustrated Key to the Tarot: The Veil of Divination, Dr. L. W. de Laurence. 1916 edition, 1916, De Laurence, Scott & Co.. Source scan leaf 51. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/tarot-smith-46
Source details
Editorial title and description. Source details from the Library catalogue.
Original source design and caption inspected; composition retained with scan margins trimmed. No reconstructed or recoloured details. Design credited to Pamela Colman Smith; reproduced in the active L. W. de Laurence volume. Card border, number and title retained.
Sources
From the book
The Illustrated Key to the Tarot: The Veil of DivinationDr. L. W. de Laurence1916More from this book
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Cite this illustration
Pamela Colman Smith (design). The High Priestess: Pamela Colman Smith’s Tarot. The Illustrated Key to the Tarot: The Veil of Divination. Scan leaf 51. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/tarot-smith-46