Les 22 Arcanes du Tarot Kabbalistique par Oswald Wirth
The 22 majors of this deck were created in 1889 by Oswald Wirth, a Swiss occultist, artist and author with interests in Freemasonry. They were created under the guidance of Stanislas de Guaita, the reknown French poet and expert on esotericism who founded the Ordre Kabbalistique de la Rose Croix, who encouraged Wirth to restore the “22 Arcana of Tarot to their hieroglyphic purity” according to the ideas of Éliphas Lévi. Wirth systematized Éliphas Lévi's ideas, wrote a number of highly influential books and became a leading Freemason in France.
Based closely on the Tarot de Marseilles designs, the deck is notable for the added esoteric symbols; see also Le Tarot Belline. The deck accompanied Papus’ book Le Tarot des Bohemian.
The first edition of the deck was hand-painted with gilded edges and did not include Minor Arcana. One copy is in the British Museum. Wirth’s Le Tarot des Imagiers du Moyen Age (Tarot of Medieval Artists), published in 1927, has illustrations of a slightly redesigned deck. Later versions, produced by others after Wirth’s death, are redrawings with changed colors and may have Minor Arcana added.
See Tarot Heritage — French Occult Tarot for more historical background on the evolution of French occult tarot.