Tea, Chit-Chat, and the Problem of Politeness

Come explore the world of tea with Romita Ray, associate professor of art history in the Department of Art and Music Histories in the College of Arts and Sciences. What did the tea table look like in the Georgian era? Focusing on representations of tea drinking in Britain, India, and North America, Romita Ray will analyze how the histories of porcelain and silver in Britain created new ways of engaging with an expensive Chinese drink. She will also look at how tea utensils produced the spectacle of politeness at a time when the Chinese import emerged as a controversial commodity. Professor Ray will present some of the research she has undertaken for a book she is writing tentatively titled, Leafy Wonders: Art, Science, and the Aesthetics of Tea in Colonial and Modern India. 

Her talk is organized by the Everson Museum of Art and will take place virtually. Free for members. $5.00 for non-members.

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