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.
Although she was then aged 60, she became a Member of Crowley’s Ordo Templi Orientis, one of the many around at the time.Ĭrowley had originally wanted his deck to follow the more traditional Tarot de Marseilles cards, but Lady Frieda persuaded him to commit his occult, magical, spiritual and scientific views to the project. She sent Crowley a regular update throughout the project. She was a respected artist and met with Crowley in 1937 when he was looking for an artist to design his Tarot deck. He was a member of the Liberal Party and served as a politician for several years and became Sir Percy Harris in 1932 which entitled her to be called Lady. She came from a fairly well to do family her father was a surgeon and she married Percy Harris in 1901. Many people are familiar with Pamela Coleman Smith who designed the Rider Waite Tarot deck, under the guide of Dr A E Waite, but what of Lady Frieda Harris, who designed and worked with Aleister Crowley?