Behind the Scenes

Elizabeth Keckley was born into slavery, bought her freedom with money she borrowed and then repaid by her own work, and became Mary Todd Lincoln's dressmaker and confidante. Her memoir, Behind the Scenes, published in 1868, is a rare firsthand account of the Lincoln White House from the perspective of a black woman who moved between the domestic and the political. Keckley describes her early life, her struggle for freedom, and her years of intimate service to a First Lady under enormous pressure. She writes about the death of Willie Lincoln, the strains of wartime Washington, the assassination of President Lincoln, and the difficult aftermath for Mary Lincoln. The book also includes letters from Mrs. Lincoln that Keckley used to support her account. Readers interested in the Civil War, the Lincoln presidency, women's history, and African American autobiography will find this a compelling and important work. This edition contains the complete text, a new introduction, a guide to key ideas, a summary, themes, a glossary, and discussion questions for readers, students, and book clubs.