The Fool

A young traveller steps toward the edge of a cliff, a white rose in one hand, a small dog at his heels. Pamela Colman Smith drew him in 1909 as the figure numbered zero — the beginning that stands outside the sequence, the open road before experience. She completed all seventy-eight images in a matter of months for a flat fee, and for nearly a century the deck bore every name but hers. Notice the white sun rising behind him, and the little 'PCS' monogram set low in the corner. This house prints her name on every plate.

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-00427