![]() ![]() 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. She witnessed the grief of both parents at the death of their son Willie and Mary Todd's prostration after the president's assassination. Keckley's descriptions of the Lincolns at home reveal touching, unguarded moments of laughter, discussion, and affection. Before long, she was supplying not only beautiful clothing but also a sympathetic ear to Mary Todd Lincoln. She eventually was able to buy her freedom and went to Washington, D.C., where she established herself as modiste to some of the wives and daughters of high-level politicians and officers. Louis, where she began working as a modiste, or dress designer. ![]() In this unusual memoir, Keckley offers a rare, behind-the-scenes view of the formal and informal networks that African Americans established among themselves, as well as an insider's perspective of the men who made Civil War politics and the women who influenced them.Īs an enslaved young woman, Keckley was moved to the rough frontier city of St. ![]() 1824-1907) rose to a position of respect as a talented dressmaker and designer to the political elite of Washington, D.C., and a confidante of First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln. Born into slavery, Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley (ca. ![]()
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