Tarot Fellow
Universal Waite Tarot Deck — Recolored Edition by Mary Hanson-Roberts
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$21.95 - Regular price
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$21.95 - Sale price
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$21.95
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Details
Universal Waite Tarot deck — the classic Rider-Waite-Smith imagery reimagined with soft, luminous recolouring by artist Mary Hanson-Roberts. All 78 original cards retain Pamela Colman Smith’s iconic scenes and symbols while gaining a gentler, warmer palette that many readers find more inviting. Ideal for beginners building on the RWS tradition and for experienced readers who appreciate the familiarity of Waite imagery in a more accessible visual register. Comes with a companion booklet. A valued edition in any tarot library.
Description:Quick Specs
- Deck: Universal Waite Tarot
- Original art: Pamela Colman Smith (1909)
- Recoloring: Mary Hanson-Roberts
- Publisher: U.S. Games Systems
- Cards: 78 standard tarot cards
- Best for: Beginners, RWS study, readers who find the original coloring harsh
Universal Waite Tarot: The Softened Rider-Waite-Smith Classic
The Universal Waite Tarot is one of the most-studied variants of the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition, which has formed the backbone of English-language tarot interpretation since its 1909 publication. What distinguishes this edition from the standard Rider-Waite is the recoloring: artist Mary Hanson-Roberts, known for her own illustrated tarot deck, worked through all 78 cards using colored pencils to replace the original, somewhat saturated coloring with a softer, warmer palette. The result preserves Pamela Colman Smith's line drawings exactly, including her handwritten card titles and her signature P on the artwork, while making the images more visually comfortable for extended reading and study sessions.
The significance of preserving Smith's original drawings cannot be overstated for anyone working within the RWS tradition. Every symbol, every figure's posture, every compositional choice that generations of tarot authors have written about is present in exactly the form Smith intended. This makes the Universal Waite one of the most study-compatible editions available: any guidebook, course, or reference that was written for the Rider-Waite-Smith system applies directly and without adaptation. Browse my tarot and divination books for companion reading materials that pair with this deck.
Why Recoloring Matters for Readers and Collectors
The 1909 Rider-Waite coloring used a palette that some readers find visually jarring or tiring over long sessions, particularly certain sharp greens and blues in the background fields. Hanson-Roberts addressed this without touching the composition, instead shifting the overall palette toward muted earth tones and softer blue-greens that feel more cohesive across the full 78 cards. The texture of colored pencil on paper is also visible in the recolored version, giving the cards a slightly handmade quality not present in the flat printed tones of the standard edition. This has made the Universal Waite a preferred deck among readers who want full RWS compatibility but find the original coloring distracting.
For collectors, the Universal Waite is also notable for retaining details that some other reprints remove: Pamela Colman Smith's signature appears on the art, and her handwritten lettering for card titles is preserved rather than replaced with a standard printed font. These are small but meaningful points of authenticity for anyone who values Smith's contribution, which has become an increasingly prominent conversation in tarot history as her role was systematically understated for decades after publication.
How to Use the Universal Waite Tarot Deck
How to get the most from the Universal Waite as a study tool and reading deck.
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Compare It to Other Rider-Waite Editions
Fan through the 78 cards and compare the coloring to any other Rider-Waite edition you own. Notice how Hanson-Roberts used softer tones that reduce visual harshness while preserving Smith original line art intact.
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Use It as Your Primary Study Deck
Use the Universal Waite as your primary study deck. The gentler palette makes extended study sessions more comfortable, and the familiar imagery means every RWS book and course applies directly to these cards.
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Pair with Any RWS Companion Book
Pair the deck with any standard RWS companion book. Because the Universal Waite preserves Smith original drawings exactly, all positional symbolism and scene details described in RWS literature match precisely.
The Tarot Fellow Standard
I stock the Universal Waite because it resolves the most common complaint about the standard Rider-Waite without compromising the thing that makes RWS decks so valuable: the completeness of Smith's imagery. The softer Hanson-Roberts palette is genuinely easier to read with for long sessions, and retaining Smith's handwriting and signature matters both symbolically and historically. This is one of the few Rider-Waite variants I recommend without qualification to beginners and experienced readers alike. For readers building a broader collection, browse my tarot and divination collection to explore other decks alongside this one.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Universal Waite keeps Smith original line drawings intact but recolors them with softer, warmer tones by Mary Hanson-Roberts, while standard editions use the harsher coloring from the 1909 publication.
Yes. Because the Universal Waite preserves Smith original illustrations exactly, every Rider-Waite-Smith guidebook, course, and reference applies directly. It is one of the most recommended starting decks precisely because of this compatibility.
Mary Hanson-Roberts is an American artist known for her own tarot deck. She used colored pencils to rework the palette, softening the original coloring into warmer tones while keeping Smith linework completely unchanged.
The Universal Waite retains Smith handwritten card titles and her signature P on the artwork, which some other editions remove or replace. These details matter to collectors who value Smith original contribution.
