Tea Drinking In 18th-Century America: Its Etiquette And Equipage

The title of this 1961 Smithsonian Institution bulletin says it all. “In 18th-century America, the pleasant practice of taking tea at home was an established social custom with a recognized code of manners and distinctive furnishings. Pride was taken in a correct and fashionable tea table whose equipage included much more than teapot, cups, and saucers. It was usually the duty of the mistress to make and pour the tea; and it was the duty of the guests to be adept at handling a teacup and saucer and to provide social ‘chitchat.’” The author was assistant curator of cultural history in the United States National Museum, Smithsonian Institution. The printed version has numerous interesting …