| Behind the Scenes: Or, Thirty years a slave, and Four Years in the White House Contributor(s): Keckley, Elizabeth (Author) |
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ISBN: 1618958828 ISBN-13: 9781618958822 Publisher: Bibliotech Press OUR PRICE: $26.55 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: January 2020 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | United States - Civil War Period (1850-1877) - Biography & Autobiography | Cultural, Ethnic & Regional - African American & Black - Social Science | Slavery |
| Dewey: B |
| Physical Information: 0.5" H x 6" W x 9" (0.85 lbs) 154 pages |
| Themes: - Ethnic Orientation - African American - Chronological Period - 1851-1899 - Topical - Civil War - Chronological Period - 19th Century - Cultural Region - Mid-Atlantic - Cultural Region - South Atlantic - Cultural Region - Southeast U.S. - Geographic Orientation - District of Columbia - Geographic Orientation - North Carolina - Geographic Orientation - Virginia |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley (sometimes spelled Keckly; February 1818 - May 1907) was a former slave who became a successful seamstress, civil activist, and author in Washington, DC. She was best known as the personal modiste and confidante of Mary Todd Lincoln, the First Lady. Keckley had moved to Washington in 1860 after buying her freedom and that of her son in St. Louis. She created an independent business in the capital based on clients who were the wives of the government elite. Among them were Varina Davis, wife of Jefferson Davis; and Mary Anna Custis Lee, wife of Robert E. Lee. After the American Civil War, Keckley wrote and published an autobiography, Behind the Scenes: Or, Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House (1868). It was both a slave narrative and a portrait of the First Family, especially Mary Todd Lincoln, and is considered controversial for breaking privacy about them. It was also her claim as a businesswoman to be part of the new mixed-race, middle-class that was visible among the leadership of the black community. Keckley's relationship with Mary Todd Lincoln, the President's wife, was notable for its personal quality and intimacy, as well as its endurance over time. (wikipedia.org) |