Colman-Smith? Colman Smith?

Alissa

• #1

I'm hoping someone can clarify for me the correct way to spell Pixie's last name. With a hyphen? Without? If you refered to her by last name only, would Colman Smith, Colman-Smith, or just Smith, be correct?

And while we're at it, which do you believe is the correct form:
Rider Waite Smith, or Rider-Waite-Smith?

Thanks in advance, I just need an informed consensus, and came here.

 

manhattan9thgate

• #2

drop the hyphens

her family name was Smith not Coleman-Smith

 

Umbrae

• #3

From The Story of the Waite-Smith Tarot by Frank Jensen, page 37, "Pamela Colman Smith, baptised Corinne Pamela Colman Smith..."

No hyphens needed.

 

Alissa

• #4

Thanks for the hyphen info, but still...

...would it be most correct to use "Colman Smith" or just "Smith" when referring to her?

I did check the Jensen book, but he refers to her affectionately by her first name.

and...

is the "general consensus" that Rider-Waite-Smith should be hyphenated (as it is here at AT) or not?

 

Fulgour

• #5

Rider & Co was a publisher of sensationalist booklets
and Waite supplied all the pulp he could crank out...

Why not step up to the 21st Century and call this deck
"The Pamela Colman Smith Tarot of 1909" ~or the PCS.

For Miss Smith's own rendition of her name,
see her signature on the letter attached...
and please notice: she never mentions AEW.

 

Attachments

• 
  Signed PCS Letter toStieglitz1909.jpg

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Alissa

• #6

Thanks for the letter, that was cool to see.

Well, on one hand, I totally support renaming the Rider Waite Smith to highlight the artist and not the producer and publisher. BUT, for the purpose of what I'm writing currently (Which is the catalyst for this inquiry), I need to go with that which is traditional and therefore easily recognizable to the common Tarot reader, i.e. RWS.

"Smith" or "Colman Smith"?

As in: "Smith's illustration depicts..."
or
"Colman Smith's illustration depicts..."?

 

Fulgour

• #7

I find that for the Artist, I think "Colman Smith"
and for the deck, Rider-wise, simply the "Rider"
since how many Rider decks were there~ever?

 

Alissa

• #8

Thank you Fulgour! You're my hero!

 

Teheuti

• #9

Most bibliographic sources - art books and the like list her as
Smith, Pamela Colman.

Letters by others - such as the Yeats family - spoke of her as Miss Smith (or Pixie Smith). Thus, if you try to look her up under the C's, in any source other than modern Tarot writings, you'll likely miss her.

Mary

 

Gayla

• #10

Fulgour, that letter is so cool. I have been looking around to try and see more of her artwork...does anybody know a good place to start?