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Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
Monday, May 18, 2026
7pm ET (NYC time)
Free! RSVP with email at checkout
PLEASE NOTE: Video playback of free events is only available to Patreon members. Become a Member HERE.
Ticketholders: A Zoom invite is sent out two hours before the event to the email used at checkout. Please check your spam folder and if not received, email hello@morbidanatomy.org.
Tarot cards are known for their imagery. While most decks use the same standard archetypes, these archetypes have been interpreted in a variety of ways in the years since the first cards appeared—there are decks inspired by various mythologies, decks that use cats, decks that incorporate aspects of the natural world... the beauty of the cards lies in their flexibility.
The rare book librarians at Becker Medical Library realized that the images in their Renaissance-era books, which are often steeped in symbolism and allegory, also lends themselves quite well to Tarot. This led to the creation of a Major Arcana deck that draws on the rare book holdings of Becker Library to explore medical history through the framework of the Tarot, showing how well the two complement each other and how images are often inherently interdisciplinary.
This illustrated talk will introduce this new deck, and share the historical sources—and their multivalent images—that inspired its creation.
Elisabeth Brander is the Head of Rare Books at Becker Medical Library and is particularly interested in the history of anatomy and the history of the book. Angela He is the Rare Book Librarian at Becker Medical Library.
Monday, May 18, 2026
7pm ET (NYC time)
Free! RSVP with email at checkout
PLEASE NOTE: Video playback of free events is only available to Patreon members. Become a Member HERE.
Ticketholders: A Zoom invite is sent out two hours before the event to the email used at checkout. Please check your spam folder and if not received, email hello@morbidanatomy.org.
Tarot cards are known for their imagery. While most decks use the same standard archetypes, these archetypes have been interpreted in a variety of ways in the years since the first cards appeared—there are decks inspired by various mythologies, decks that use cats, decks that incorporate aspects of the natural world... the beauty of the cards lies in their flexibility.
The rare book librarians at Becker Medical Library realized that the images in their Renaissance-era books, which are often steeped in symbolism and allegory, also lends themselves quite well to Tarot. This led to the creation of a Major Arcana deck that draws on the rare book holdings of Becker Library to explore medical history through the framework of the Tarot, showing how well the two complement each other and how images are often inherently interdisciplinary.
This illustrated talk will introduce this new deck, and share the historical sources—and their multivalent images—that inspired its creation.
Elisabeth Brander is the Head of Rare Books at Becker Medical Library and is particularly interested in the history of anatomy and the history of the book. Angela He is the Rare Book Librarian at Becker Medical Library.