Jean-Baptiste Alliette
Etteilla
In their own terms: A teacher and practitioner of the ancient Egyptian art of cartomancy
As history sees them: The first professional cartomancer — transformed tarot from a game into a paid divinatory practice
The first known professional tarot reader in history. Created the first deck designed specifically for divination, founded the first school of tarot study, and coined the term 'cartomancy.'
Biography
Born March 1, 1738, in Paris. A print seller and wig maker by trade who became the first person known to make a living from tarot card reading. He published under the reversed spelling of his surname: Etteilla. His first book on cartomancy with regular playing cards appeared in 1770, coining the term 'cartonomancie.' After encountering Court de Gebelin's Egyptian claims, he published the first systematic tarot divination manual in 1783.
In 1789, Etteilla published his own tarot deck, the 'Livre de Thot' — the first deck in history designed explicitly for divination rather than gaming. He radically redesigned the imagery, departing entirely from the Marseille tradition. He was the first to number the Fool as 0 and the first to use astrological correspondences on the Major Arcana. In 1790, he founded the 'Nouvelle Ecole de Magie,' the first organized school of tarot study.
Etteilla is the bridge figure between the gaming tradition and the divinatory tradition. He transformed tarot from a game played for entertainment into a practice performed for paying clients, establishing the profession that continues to this day. He died December 12, 1791.
Key Works
- Maniere de se recreer avec le jeu de cartes nommees tarots (1783) — First systematic tarot divination manual
- Livre de Thot (deck) (1789) — First deck designed for divination, not gaming
Intellectual Lineage
Influenced by
- Antoine Court de Gebelin intellectual Gebelin's Egyptian origin claim inspired Etteilla to develop tarot cartomancy
Timeline
Etteilla publishes first tarot divination manual
Jean-Baptiste Alliette publishes 'Maniere de se recreer avec le jeu de cartes nommees tarots' — the first systematic guide to tarot cartomancy.
Etteilla creates first divination-specific tarot deck
The 'Livre de Thot' — first deck designed explicitly for occult/divinatory use, not gaming. Radically redesigned imagery departing from Marseille tradition. First to number the Fool as 0.