Mrs. Lincoln's dressmaker : the unlikely friendship of Elizabeth Keckley & Mary Todd Lincoln /

Few events can stir up a scandal more than an autobiography of a First Lady's confidante. In 1868, a controversial tell-all called Behind the Scenes introduced readers to Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley. Mrs. Keckley was a former slave who had been Mary Todd Lincoln's dressmaker and friend during...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Jones, Lynda
Format: Book
Language:English
Published: Washington, D.C. : National Geographic, 2009.
Subjects:
Online Access:Table of contents only
Description
Summary:Few events can stir up a scandal more than an autobiography of a First Lady's confidante. In 1868, a controversial tell-all called Behind the Scenes introduced readers to Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley. Mrs. Keckley was a former slave who had been Mary Todd Lincoln's dressmaker and friend during the White House years, and in the aftermath of President Lincoln's assassination. The book exposed Mary's marriage and her erratic behavior, along with confidential opinions of many in high society. The airing of the Lincoln's "dirty laundry" meant humiliation for Mary and her family, and Elizabeth's reputation was destroyed. This outcome would have been unimaginable in 1867, when Mary declared in a letter, "I consider you my best living friend." How could such a bond have developed between a woman born into slavery and the First Lady of the United States? Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker answers this question by chronicling the extraordinary lives of these women.
Physical Description:80 pages : illustrations ; 27 cm.
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references (pages 76-77) and index.
ISBN:9781426303777 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1426303777 (hardcover : alk. paper)
9781426303784 (library binding : alk. paper)
1426303785 (library binding : alk. paper)