RWS suits tell a story in sequence?

Teheuti

there exist not just one or two isolated instances, but centuries' worth of examples of earlier decks of cards of all sorts in which pip and court cards are illustrated to varying degrees--some a little, others quite heavily. . . .
From accessing that resource alone, one can see that neither Waite nor PCS was not the first person to have the idea to illustrate pip cards. Nor did PCS live in a vacuum.

I don't think anyone has ever questioned the existence of illustrations on cards before PCS - as any examination of the history of playing cards would demonstrate. The point is usually made that hers were the first cards to illustrate the divinatory meanings of the *Tarot* pips, based on inspiration from the Sola Busca deck, pictures of which had recently arrived at the British Museum. Are there other specific cards or decks you think Pixie copied (besides the Sola Busca ones)? Side-by-side comparisons of those cards would be helpful.

However it came about--an idea inspired by other types of cards, a flight of fancy, storylines based on Masonic ritual and Grail lore as retold to PCS by Waite, inspired by psychic intuition, her own knowledge/interest--in order to produce that amount of work in so short a period of time, use of theme would have considerably aided PCS's creative process.
Agreed. Did you have any theme in mind or source for that theme, or simply that she must have had some sort of "theme"?

Marcus and Tali's up-coming book will point out some particulars that you'll probably find of interest.
 

tarotbear

I have posted this elsewhere on AT - a rather hokey and over-produced video - but it does 'chronicle' the Fool's Journey through the Majors - if you can watch it all the way through without sniggering:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVJtaaVWznc