Wednesday, December 28, 2011



A Punch and Judy Death. Image from The Lewis Walpole Library.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011


A Punch and Judy Devil. Image from The Lewis Walpole Library.

Friday, December 16, 2011


A Punch and Judy Hierophant. Image from The Lewis Walpole Library.

Friday, December 9, 2011


A Punch and Judy Hanged Man. Image from The Lewis Walpole Library.

Monday, December 5, 2011


A Punch and Judy Ace of Wands. Image from The Lewis Walpole Library.

Thursday, December 1, 2011


A Manuscript that's ready to be read has language like a thousand sticks arcing through the air and seen in a mirror.
—Gary Barwin, "The Questionless Book Interview"

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

"The Crystal," an illustration from The English Illustrated Magazine, 1907.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

The Star, from English Illustrated magazine, 1892.

Friday, November 18, 2011


A house of Tarot cards, from Luigi Serafini's Codex Seraphinianus. See also our discussion of how the Welsh village of Portmeirion is composed of Tarot archetypes, over at the Association for Tarot Studies.

Saturday, November 12, 2011


A Hanged Man, courtesy of Johanna Kovitz's Yiddish Wit (and via a tip from Gary Barwin). The saying reads, "May you grow like an onion, with your head in the ground."

Saturday, November 5, 2011

A Hermit, from The Ludgate magazine, 1897.

Saturday, October 29, 2011


"There is another way." A Chariot from The Ludgate magazine, 1897.

Saturday, October 22, 2011


"Love stands at the gateway of each human soul,
holding in his hands a rose and a drawn sword—
the sword is for the many, the rose for the one."
—F. Marion Crawford, The Witch of Prague, 1890.

The illustration is our own.

Sunday, October 16, 2011


The Tower: an illustration from Life Magazine, 1890.

Thursday, October 13, 2011


"A keeper of the legends of Ireland": from The Century magazine, 1889.

Monday, October 10, 2011


A Hermit at the court of Amenhotep III, Temple of Luxor: an illustration from The Century magazine, 1908.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011


"Tales of the tea-leaves": an illustration from a 1914 issue of The Century.

Saturday, October 1, 2011


The Hermit: an illustration from The Century magazine, 1901. The caption reads, "Then he lighted the lantern and went forth."

Wednesday, September 28, 2011


The caption reads: "The Sun in his chariot: from an old Persian manuscript." (The Century magazine, 1903.)

Sunday, September 25, 2011


This illustration from a 1904 issue of The Century magazine recalls Jeff McBride's advice: "The best way to predict your future is to create it." The emphatic caption reads: "I do more than foretell events. I make them happen."

Thursday, September 22, 2011


Riddling the Sphinx: an illustration from The Century magazine, 1910.

Monday, September 19, 2011


The cards "never lie": an illustration from The Century magazine, 1910.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Reading tea leaves: an illustration from Scribner's Monthly, 1877.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Strength: St. Francis taming the wolf of Gubbio, from The Century magazine, 1912.

Saturday, September 10, 2011


"The Triumph of Love," by John La Farge, featured in Scribner's magazine, 1880.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

An ace of wands: "The girl laughed, and struck at him with the iron stake." From The Century magazine, 1892.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011


The Fool on the clifftop with his dog, the Magician waving his wand, and the Sun shining in his glory all come together in this cover of Life magazine from Sept. 1906.

Sunday, September 4, 2011


The Star
: an illustration from The Century magazine, 1917.

Dedicated to Janet Boyer.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

The Moon: an illustration by Rockwell Kent for The Century magazine, 1922.

Sunday, August 28, 2011


"The Fool's Reverie," an illustration from Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly, 1883.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

The Sorceress, from the painting by R. Willis Maddox, as printed in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Magazine, 1895.

Monday, August 22, 2011


The Moon: an illustration from McClure's magazine, 1905.

Friday, August 19, 2011


"The Lady Moon arranging her final pose": an illustration from Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly, 1902.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011


A Wheel of Fortune: an illustration from Harper's magazine, 1902. Its caption reads, "The wheel turns."

Saturday, August 13, 2011

"'Are you the Hermit?' she inquired": an illustration from Harper's magazine, 1902.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011


"Truth before the Seer": an illustration from Harper's magazine, 1900.

Sunday, August 7, 2011


The Fool: an illustration of an idealist from Life magazine, 1919.

Thursday, August 4, 2011


The Moon meets The Lovers: an illustration from Life magazine, 1919. The caption reads: "The Moon: You're doing fairly well, my son; but I know I've seen them all from Adam down."

Monday, August 1, 2011


"The Woman in White," featured in Scribner's magazine, 1895.

Friday, July 29, 2011


The Moon: an illustration from Harper's magazine, 1864.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

“My interest lies somewhere near a sense that words are like tarot cards, and that a poem manipulates unpredictable depths with its words. . . . I like the tarot because it works like poetry and because you don’t really have to ‘believe in’ anything. It’s there to be used. The symbols are remarkably durable and beautiful; they float out to encompass all kinds of meanings.” —Alice Notley (via Enrique Enriquez)

The fortune-teller: an illustration from Harper's magazine, 1859.

Sunday, July 24, 2011


The Tower: from Walther Litzelmann's Artilleriebuch (1582).

Friday, July 22, 2011


The Emperor combines with Death in this illustration from Harper's magazine, 1857.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011


Reading a tea leaf: an illustration from Harper's magazine, 1901.

Saturday, July 16, 2011


Strength:
Orpheus with his lyre could subdue lions. An illustration from a 1906 issue of Scribner's.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011


Yes, or no? An illustration from Harper's magazine, 1874.

Sunday, July 10, 2011


The Wheel: an illustration from Scribner's, 1900. The caption reads: "Dreamed of clipping about on a silently revolving wheel."

Thursday, July 7, 2011

"This should be a lucky day to tell your fortune":
an illustration from a 1908 issue of Harper's magazine.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

The Moon, a card from 1454, printed in Harper's New Monthly Magazine, 1862.

Saturday, July 2, 2011


"Truth in the Fool's lodge": an illustration from Harper's magazine, 1900.