Albano-Waite
Rider-Waite clone with recolored Pamela Colman Smith artwork, divisive aesthetics.
by Frankie Albano · 1968
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The record
The Albano-Waite Tarot card deck is one of the many clones of the Rider Waite Smith deck. Like other clones, it has kept Pamela Colman Smiths original drawings while changing the colors. This is one of those decks (like the RWS itself) that people are either going to love or hate. Some people may prefer the brilliant colors of the Albano Waite over the standard RWS, while others want to try something else. I found this deck next to the Radiant Waite deck in the Tarot card case in Borders, and ended up buying (and enjoying) both of them. According to the Little White Book, the Albano Waite deck was originally published in 1968 by Tarot Productions Inc, with the art directed by Frankie Albano. The LWB also states that the deck went out of print in the late 1970s and efforts to locate Frankie Albano have proven futile. The deck that US Games Systems publishes is a facsimile (copyrighted 1991) of the 1968 edition. Otherwise, the LWB gives the standard issue short meanings for the cards. The images themselves are almost exactly the same as the standard issue RWS deck. One exception is the Temperance card. A rainbow appears over the head of the angel Michael, which is apparently appro
The cards
