Housewives Tarot

Published May 26, 2016 • Updated August 23, 2023

Retro-style ‘Housewives Tarot’ designed by Paul Kepple & Jude Buffum, published by Quirk Books, 2004.

The retro-style ‘Housewives Tarot’ designed by Paul Kepple & Jude Buffum, revealing the hidden secrets of domestic empowerment in a light-hearted and humorous way, was published by Quirk Books in 2004. The cards feature 1950s iconography and perfectly capture that era, making the whole deck a somewhat refreshing relief from the usual ‘occultist’ allegories. If you're of a certain age maybe this evokes fond nostalia, but perhaps a bit condescending towards women in today's age of equality and liberation!

The Major Arcana

The Minor Arcana

The ‘Housewives Tarot’ designed by Paul Kepple & Jude Buffum, published by Quirk Books, 2004

Above: The ‘Housewives Tarot’ designed by Paul Kepple & Jude Buffum, published by Quirk Books, 2004. 78 cards + instruction book in robust box.

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By Rex Pitts (1940-2021)

United Kingdom • Member since January 30, 2009

Rex's main interest was in card games, because, he said, they were cheap and easy to get hold of in his early days of collecting. He is well known for his extensive knowledge of Pepys games and his book is on the bookshelves of many. His other interest was non-standard playing cards. He also had collections of sheet music, music CDs, models of London buses, London Transport timetables and maps and other objects that intrigued him.

Rex had a chequered career at school. He was expelled twice, on one occasion for smoking! Despite this he trained as a radio engineer and worked for the BBC in the World Service. Later he moved into sales and worked for a firm that made all kinds of packaging, a job he enjoyed until his retirement. He became an expert on boxes and would always investigate those that held his cards. He could always recognize a box made for Pepys, which were the same as those of Alf Cooke’s Universal Playing Card Company, who printed the card games. This interest changed into an ability to make and mend boxes, which he did with great dexterity. He loved this kind of handicraft work.

His dexterity of hand and eye soon led to his making card games of his own design. He spent hours and hours carefully cutting them out and colouring them by hand.