author

Rodris Roth

Best known for bringing everyday American history vividly to life, this Smithsonian curator wrote with a gift for turning objects and customs into clear, fascinating stories. Her work on tea culture remains a lively window into 18th-century America.

1 Audiobook

Tea Drinking in 18th-Century America: Its Etiquette and Equipage United States National Museum Bulletin 225, Contributions from the Museum of History and Technology Paper 14, pages 61-91, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 1961

Tea Drinking in 18th-Century America: Its Etiquette and Equipage United States National Museum Bulletin 225, Contributions from the Museum of History and Technology Paper 14, pages 61-91, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 1961

by Rodris Roth

About the author

Rodris Roth was an American museum curator and historian closely associated with the Smithsonian's National Museum of History and Technology, later the National Museum of American History. Smithsonian records show she served there in curatorial roles from the late 1950s onward, including as Assistant Curator, Associate Curator, Curator of Costume and Furnishings, and acting chairman within the museum's history divisions.

She is best remembered by many readers for Tea Drinking in 18th-Century America: Its Etiquette and Equipage, a 1961 Smithsonian publication that explores how tea shaped social life, manners, and material culture in early America. The book reflects the strengths that seem to run through her career: careful research, attention to domestic life, and a talent for making historical detail feel tangible.

Smithsonian archival and collection records also show her work connected to exhibitions and collecting in areas such as costume, furnishings, and everyday life in the American past. Some sources list her life dates as 1931-2000. I couldn't confirm a suitable portrait image from the pages I checked, so none is included here.