Behind the Scenes

About the Book

Born into slavery, Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley (ca. 1824-1907) rose to a respected position as a dressmaker and designer to Washington, D.C.'s political elite. She also became a confidante of Mary Todd Lincoln. Keckley's memoir offers a behind-the-scenes view of the formal and informal networks that African Americans established among themselves in the nation's capital while providing an insider's look at the men who made Civil War politics and the women who influenced them.As a young woman, Keckley was moved to the rough frontier city of St. Louis, where she began working as a modiste, or dress designer. She eventually bought her freedom and went to Washington, D.C. There she established herself as modiste to some of the wives and daughters of high-level politicians and officers. Before long, she was supplying not only beautiful clothing but also a sympathetic ear to the First Lady.

Keckley's descriptions of the Lincolns at home reveal touching, unguarded moments of laughter, discussion, and affection. She witnessed the grief of both parents at the death of their son Willie and Mary Todd's prostration after the president's assassination. In dire financial straits, Mary Todd turned to Keckley, who spent several months in New York helping the former First Lady sell her elegant clothing.

Intimate and illuminating, Behind the Scenes is the story of a remarkable, resourceful, and principled woman who befriended Mrs. Lincoln and the prominent black leaders of her time while taking on a role as mediator between Black and white communities.