The Major Arcana of 1909: who drew them and why their matrix numbers differ
Why the matrix gives Justice 8, Strength 11 and the Fool 22 when the 1909 cards show XI, VIII and 0, and who Pamela Colman Smith was.
Links to pages without a translation lead to the Polish version.
The calculator number and the card number
When you calculate a matrix in the calculator, each point receives a number from 1 to 22 and the name of one of the Major Arcana. Beside the main energies you see a detail from an illustration: a woman with a lion, a figure holding scales and a sword, a young man carrying a bundle on a stick. Our illustrations are new AI-generated adaptations inspired by a tarot deck created in 1909, not scans of old cards.
If you have a deck at home or see these cards elsewhere, Justice may show XI while the calculator gives 8. Here is why.
Three numbers that differ
Justice and Strength
On the 1909 cards, Strength is VIII and Justice is XI. In the matrix it is the other way around: Justice is 8 and Strength is 11.
Why the swap? In some older decks Justice was VIII and Strength XI. The 1909 deck switched the two cards. The matrix follows the older order, so when the calculator shows 8 it means Justice, even though the full 1909 card bears XI.
The simplest way to remember it: use the name and number from the calculator. The Roman numeral on the card comes from the order adopted by the creator of the 1909 deck.
The Fool
The top of the Fool card bears 0. Zero cannot occur in the matrix. Every sum consists of positive numbers, and adding the digits of a positive number always produces at least 1. Thus all points fall between 1 and 22, and the Fool takes position 22, which has no card in the deck.
The Fool appears at point A for anyone born on the 22nd of a month, and at point C for people born in 1939, 1948, 1957, 1966, 1975, 1984 or 1993.
All 22 numbers
The 1909 deck has 78 cards, but the matrix uses only the 22 Major Arcana. The arcanum number matters here because the calculation is based on addition. If a sum exceeds 22, add its digits. For example, 29 gives 2 + 9 = 11, or Strength. The guide to calculating the matrix explains the full calculation step by step.
The 1909 cards use Roman numerals. For 19 arcana, that is the only difference. There are three exceptions:
| Matrix number | Arcanum | On the 1909 card |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Magician | I |
| 2 | The High Priestess | II |
| 3 | The Empress | III |
| 4 | The Emperor | IV |
| 5 | The Hierophant | V |
| 6 | The Lovers | VI |
| 7 | The Chariot | VII |
| 8 | Justice | XI |
| 9 | The Hermit | IX |
| 10 | Wheel of Fortune | X |
| 11 | Strength | VIII |
| 12 | The Hanged Man | XII |
| 13 | Death | XIII |
| 14 | Temperance | XIV |
| 15 | The Devil | XV |
| 16 | The Tower | XVI |
| 17 | The Star | XVII |
| 18 | The Moon | XVIII |
| 19 | The Sun | XIX |
| 20 | Judgement | XX |
| 21 | The World | XXI |
| 22 | The Fool | 0 |
Example: all three exceptions in one date
Take 29 August 1993. The first three matrix points come directly from the date:
- point A from the day: 29, or 2 + 9 = 11, Strength;
- point B from the month: August is 8, Justice;
- point C from the year: 1 + 9 + 9 + 3 = 22, the Fool.
All three cards whose numbers differ from the deck meet in this date. The diagram shows 11, 8 and 22. On the full 1909 cards Strength has VIII, Justice XI and the Fool 0.
The calculation continues in the same way. Point D is the sum of the first three: 11 + 8 + 22 = 41, or 4 + 1 = 5, the Hierophant. Centre E is the sum of four points: 11 + 8 + 22 + 5 = 46, or 4 + 6 = 10, the Wheel of Fortune.
The numbers come from the date, so swapping Justice and Strength changes the name, not the calculation: someone using the deck numbers will read 8 as Strength. With the Fool, the mistake changes the numbers too. Entering 0 instead of 22 gives D = 11 + 8 + 0 = 19 instead of 5, and centre 11 + 8 + 0 + 19 = 38, or 11, instead of 10.
One final detail: people born in the year the deck was published have 1 + 9 + 0 + 9 = 19 at point C, or the Sun.
How to avoid mixing up the numbers
When reading about arcana elsewhere, check whether the author gives the card number or the matrix number. Confusing Justice and Strength leads to the wrong description; using 0 for the Fool also changes all points derived from it.
On our site there is one rule: the number in the calculator and in an arcanum page’s address is always the matrix number. The images are new AI-generated illustrations inspired by Pamela Colman Smith’s cards, without numbers or lettering.
The pages for Justice, Strength and the Fool include a short note about the card number alongside each description.
Who was Pamela Colman Smith?
Pamela Colman Smith (1878–1951) was an artist and illustrator. Arthur Edward Waite developed the concept of the deck, and she drew all 78 illustrations. She also put scenes with figures on the numbered Minor Arcana cards, rather than symbols alone.
Her linework makes these cards recognisable at a glance. Our illustrations are new AI-generated adaptations inspired by her cards; the footer credits the source of inspiration.
Illustrations on our site
The site uses new AI-generated adaptations inspired by Pamela Colman Smith’s cards. They are not scans of old cards: compositions and details may differ from the historical illustrations.
Sources
- The Whitney Museum of American Art presents the 1909 deck, its 78 cards and the roles of Pamela Colman Smith and A. E. Waite. The museum’s copy is from a later printing, around 1920–1930.
- The Morgan Library & Museum describes the illustrator’s work and the 1909 commission; its exhibition catalogue confirms the deck’s first publication in 1909.
- Historical markings can be compared in Wikimedia Commons images: Strength VIII, Justice XI and the Fool 0. The dating of particular early printings is sometimes debated.
