Considered the GOAT of Cartomancy in France, Marie Anne Lenormand was quite the character. Born in 1772 in Normandy, she quickly turned Paris into her playground. This bookseller, necromancer and fortune-teller extraordinaire mixed with the cream of the crop, giving her cartomantic two cents to the likes of French Revolution leaders and even Empress Josephine. And if that wasn’t enough, Lenormand started her second act as an author in 1814, stirring up the public with her controversial texts.  

Despite being imprisoned several times for witchcraft and fortune-telling, her fame only grew, solidifying her status as a legendary figure in the world of the occult. When she passed away in 1843, leaving behind a small fortune, her devout nephew decided her occult tools were better off burned.