Harmonious
Victorian illustrator Walter Crane's floral fantasy and children's art traditions.
by Walter Crane, Ernest Fitzpatrick · 1893
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The record
The pretty Harmonious Tarot pays homage to Walter Crane, an English artist, painter and designer of the Victoria area. He was best known for his innovative illustrations for childrens books, and also created later works for adults in a floral fantasy style. The artwork is mostly Crane's, with some modifications by Ernest Fitzpatrick to better fit it to a Tarot structure. The cards have a very detailed, floral, languid appearance; a combination of Victorian England, cottage flower garden, and various historical eras. The costumes follow suit and randomly shift between twentieth-century dresses, hats, and suits; medieval fantasy boots and hose; Grecian robes; Native American feathers; or, most commonly, flower costumes and petal head-dresses. This floral theme is very pronounced - daisies decorate cows, a giant goose has leaves for feet in the Nine of Chalices, and a matron in the Nine of Wands holds a long-stemmed rose as a staff, to mention a few examples. The major arcana cards are based on familiar Tarot archetypes that have often been slightly altered in positioning and detail to fit the theme. They follow the European tradition in ordering Justice is at VIII, Strength at XI.
The cards
