Strength

A woman in white gently closes — or opens — the jaws of a lion, the lemniscate of infinity floating above her head. Pamela Colman Smith drew her in 1909 for the card A. E. Waite numbered eight, where older decks had placed Justice. It is not force but composure: the beast quieted by a calm hand. Smith completed all seventy-eight images in a matter of months for a single flat fee, and the deck was credited to others for a hundred years. Notice the chain of roses at her waist, and the small 'PCS' monogram in the corner. This house prints her name.

Maker

Pamela Colman Smith, for A. E. Waite

Date

1909

Medium of the original

Plate

Original held by

Published London, 1909 · scan: Wikimedia Commons

Credit

Published London, 1909 · scan: Wikimedia Commons

Rights

Public domain, verified

Catalogue number

PA-00435