Lay the two decks side by side. The Fool on the left is from a 1971 Rider-Waite reprint: thick black outlines, a flat yellow sky, a stark white rose held in his left hand. The Fool on the right, from the Universal Waite, has a cream sky, shaded folds in his tunic, and a rose with pink highlights. The composition is the same. The feeling is not.
The Universal Waite Tarot and the Rider-Waite Tarot share the same 78-card system, but the Universal Waite features redrawn line art by Mary Hanson-Roberts and a softer, pastel color palette, while the Rider-Waite retains Pamela Colman Smith’s original 1909 bold strokes and flat colors. The meanings are identical. The choice between them is a choice of atmosphere, not of doctrine.
Where the Two Decks Come From
Arthur Edward Waite, a British occultist and member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, commissioned Pamela Colman Smith in 1909 to illustrate a tarot deck that would visually encode the esoteric correspondences he had developed. Smith, an American-born artist and stage designer, produced 78 cards in a style that blended folk-art directness with symbolic density. The deck was published later that year by William Rider & Son of London, and it became the first widely available tarot to show full scenes on all Minor Arcana cards, not just the Majors.
For decades, the original printing plates deteriorated. Reissues from the 1930s through the 1970s grew muddy, losing the crispness of Smith’s line work. By the 1980s, US Games Systems, which held the North American rights, wanted a cleaner edition that would appeal to a new generation of readers.
In 1990, US Games commissioned Mary Hanson-Roberts, an illustrator known for her work on the Happy Tarot and other decks, to redraw the entire set of cards. She kept every figure, every gesture, every object in its original position, but she redrew the line art with a smoother, more rounded hand and replaced Smith’s flat, primary-color palette with a muted, shaded range of earth tones and pastels. The result was first published in 1991 as the Universal Waite Tarot.
The original Rider-Waite has never gone out of print. US Games continues to release both editions, along with the Centennial Rider-Waite (a 2009 restoration of Smith’s original colors) and the Radiant Rider-Waite (a 2003 version with saturated, glowing hues by Virginijus Poshkus). The Universal Waite remains the most popular recolored variant.
What the Artwork Actually Changes
The two decks share the same symbolic architecture. The Fool still stands at the edge of a cliff, a small dog at his heels. The Magician still raises one hand to the heavens while pointing downward with the other, his table laid with the four suit tools. The High Priestess still sits between the pillars of Boaz and Jachin, a scroll in her lap. No symbol has been added or removed.
What changes is the line and the color. Smith drew with a thick, expressive outline that sometimes varies in weight, giving the cards a hand-drawn, almost urgent quality. Hanson-Roberts redrew every line with a consistent, fine stroke, softening the faces and rounding the angles. Compare the face of the Magician in the original: his features are sharp, his eyes wide, his expression intense. In the Universal Waite, his face is gentler, his smile faint, his gaze less confrontational.
The color shift is even more pronounced. Smith used flat, unmixed colors: a solid yellow sky, a solid red cloak, a solid blue robe. These were not arbitrary; they followed Golden Dawn color correspondences, where yellow signified the divine, red signified passion or will, and blue signified spirituality. The Universal Waite replaces these flat fields with blended gradients and shaded highlights. The yellow sky becomes a pale cream. The red cloak becomes a dusty rose. The blue robe becomes a soft slate. The effect is less stark, more atmospheric.
For example, the Devil card in the original shows a black background with a red demon perched on a black pedestal, two chained figures below. The contrast is harsh, almost violent. In the Universal Waite, the background is a dark purple-gray, the demon is a muted brown-red, and the figures are shaded in gray tones. The scene still conveys bondage, but the emotional register shifts from alarm to melancholy.
How the Color Change Affects Reading
Readers who work with both decks often report that the original Rider-Waite demands a certain toughness. Its bold lines and flat colors can feel confrontational, especially in cards like the Tower or the Ten of Swords. The Universal Waite, by contrast, invites a softer approach. The same card meanings emerge, but the emotional doorway is different.
We have seen readers who find the original too harsh for public readings, especially with clients who are new to tarot. The Universal Waite’s muted palette and rounded lines seem to lower defensive reactions. Conversely, some experienced readers prefer the original’s raw energy, arguing that the starkness forces a direct confrontation with the card’s message. Neither position is wrong. The cards interpret the same; the reader’s relationship with the artwork is what changes.
The Universal Waite is also the deck most often used in mass-market tarot books and apps, partly because its softer look photographs well and partly because it was designed to be a “universal” version that would not alienate beginners. That ubiquity has made it the default visual reference for many contemporary tarot learners, even though the original remains the historical source.
How the Universal Waite Compares to Other Recolored Editions
The Universal Waite is not the only attempt to refresh Smith’s artwork. The Radiant Rider-Waite (2003) by Virginijus Poshkus uses bright, saturated colors and retains Smith’s original line art, but adds digital shading and highlights. The result is a deck that feels more luminous than the original but less subdued than the Universal. The Centennial Rider-Waite (2009) returns to Smith’s original color palette, restored from early prints, and keeps her line art untouched. It is the closest modern reproduction of the 1909 deck.
The Universal Waite is unique among these because it redraws the line art entirely. That makes it a reinterpretation, not just a recoloring. Some purists object to this, arguing that Hanson-Roberts’ smoother lines lose the expressive energy of Smith’s originals. Others find the redrawn lines easier to read, especially on small card faces where Smith’s hatching can appear muddy.
A fourth variant, the Smith-Waite Centennial Edition (also 2009), uses the original line art but with a slightly different color palette than the 1909 printing. The distinctions among these editions are matters of personal taste. The system remains constant.
Common Misconceptions
The Universal Waite has different card meanings. It does not. The meanings are identical to the Rider-Waite system. The artwork changes the mood, not the message.
The Universal Waite is a separate deck from the Rider-Waite. It is an edition of the same deck, not a new system. The term “Rider-Waite” properly refers to the original 1909 publication; the Universal Waite is a licensed variant.
The original Rider-Waite is always better for serious reading. This is a matter of preference, not fact. Many professional readers use the Universal Waite exclusively. The deck’s effectiveness depends on the reader’s comfort, not the edition’s age.
The Universal Waite is just a color change. It also includes redrawn line art. The figures are softer, the lines are thinner, and the faces are more rounded. It is a reinterpretation of Smith’s original drawings.
FAQ
Are the card meanings different between Universal Waite and Rider-Waite?
No. The meanings are exactly the same. Only the artwork style differs.
Which deck is better for beginners?
Many beginners prefer the Universal Waite for its softer, more approachable look, but the original Rider-Waite is equally valid. The choice is aesthetic.
Is the Universal Waite a separate tarot system?
No. It is a recolored and redrawn edition of the same Rider-Waite-Smith system.
Can I use both decks interchangeably in readings?
Yes. The symbolism and interpretations are identical. Some readers switch between them depending on the mood of the reading.
Whether you reach for the original’s stark lines or the Universal’s softened hues, you are working with the same 78 keys. The differences are in the atmosphere, not the architecture. For a deeper look at the symbols that carry the meanings, see our tarot symbolism glossary. And for a full walkthrough of how the Rider-Waite system works, visit our Rider-Waite symbolism guide. The broader tradition lives at our tarot hub.