Frieda Harris - Creating The Tarot

Creating The Tarot

By Crowley's own admission, the deck was originally intended to be traditional, but Harris encouraged Crowley to commit his occult, magical, spiritual and scientific knowledge to the project.

Harris sent Crowley a regular stipend throughout the project. She also used her society contacts to find financial backers for the exhibition of the paintings, the catalogues, and for the publication of the Tarot deck. The pressure may have taken its toll on Harris, and Crowley was sufficiently concerned to call in the lawyers to protect his 66% investment in the project. Crowley gives Harris praise in the Introduction to the Book of Thoth:

She devoted her genius to the Work. With incredible rapidity she picked up the rhythm, and with inexhaustible patience submitted to the correction of the fanatical slave-driver that she had invoked, often painting the same card as many as eight times until it measured up to his Vanadium Steel yardstick!

Throughout the project she insisted on her own anonymity, but she revelled in working for such a notorious man. The Book of Thoth was then published in a 200 copy limited edition, but neither Crowley or Harris lived to see the deck itself printed.