Question about Legend-Anna Marie Ferguson

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 24 Jan 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Cerulean	24 Jan 2004
I have a question if you have one of the original 1995 or older Legend decks about the coloring of the cards. I think it's probably me, not the deck. But if anyone has an earlier version than a 2000 edition and by chance seen a later, say 2001 or 2002 printing of the deck--has the colors always been as washed out as they appear in my home with soft light? I recently saw a Thomas Malory book with Anna Marie Ferguson paintings and they were more vibrant--could be the bookstore lights are very much brighter than at home. I believe scanned versions of the deck have colors that appear brighter and with more contrast. Perhaps I just need to just use this deck under better lighting conditions and not after a full work day. I think this is the only deck that I have that the soft coloring is a little to soft for my surroundings at night.

lunalafey	25 Jan 2004
I have a first edition- the colors to me {have not seen newer decks} are very soft- being watercolor, that can be thier nature. On-line scans of the cards seem to be quite bright compared to my old deck....

Astraea	25 Jan 2004
Hi, Mari. I have a 1995 deck and a post-2000 version (the original box is in the basement, so I am not sure of the exact year), and they look identical to me -- in fact, I bought the later deck precisely because the colors in the first one were so washed-out, and I thought it might have been caused by that particular press run. In a way, the faded color quality adds to the mystique of the deck, but it also makes some of the details and features of the images very, very hard to see. The artwork on Ferguson's website appears quite vibrant, in contrast.

Majecot	25 Jan 2004
Hi Mari, I have the first edition also. They are a softly colored deck (washed out looking I guess) Some of the cards do have more vivd colors but I think that was by intent. Overall they seem to have a purplish greyish hue to them. Which was part of their appeal. I have had my deck for 8 years and the colors still look the same , cards are more worn of course, but they don't appear to have faded any. I haven't seen a post 2000 deck, so I cannot really compare the two.

Cerulean	25 Jan 2004
One of the reasons I had asked is I finished a watercolor class last November and after treating the paper with water, we could get colors with brilliant contrasts as we wanted. I had a few versions of the deck that I traded away and decided to keep one deck and one 1995 book, so my versions are mixed. My thank yous to those who compared or gave me their opinions. The use of grays, greens and lighter blue-purples are pretty. In brighter light, less of a problem for me. I just need to also use it to compare to a soft-toned deck if I want to use it for comparative readings. Thanks again. I was slightly disappointed when I pulled out my softly painted Universal by DeAngelis and could see the details clearly in this one, but had trouble seeing the details at night, with the same lighting, with the Legend. Best wishes, Mari H.

LadyMedusa	25 Jan 2004
I have a First Edition and one from 1998. There is a difference in the copies I have. The 1998 appears much more washed out. It is more obvious in the majors than the minors. LadyMedusa The 1998 is the one my dog customized, I got the first edition to replace it.

Cerulean	25 Jan 2004
If I do have a chance to pick one up for a good price, then I will get one. I have the 1995 book, obtained separately, and one of your posts alerted me to the value of it, so I kept it. Thanks. Mari H.

The Question about Legend-Anna Marie Ferguson thread was originally posted on 24 Jan 2004 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.