Behind the Scenes

Or, Thirty Years a Slave, and Four Years in the White House

Elizabeth Keckley 1868

This life story follows a woman from slavery to work as Mary Lincoln's dressmaker. Her account takes readers inside the Lincoln household during the Civil War.

211 pages 4h 5m reading time

One of the most important firsthand accounts of the Lincoln White House, and a key early life story by a formerly enslaved Black woman.
Shows that a woman born into slavery could buy her own freedom and build a business through skill and hard work, even in a country that saw her as property.
Reveals the close friendship between a Black dressmaker and a First Lady, showing the private grief and money troubles behind the public lives of the Lincolns.
Has become a major source for historians and biographers of Mary Lincoln, who still draw on its details about her and the family.
Inspired later portrayals of Keckley, including her role in the 2012 film "Lincoln" and the 2013 novel "Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker."

Answered a public scandal

Keckley wrote it partly to defend Mary Lincoln, mocked in 1867 for trying to sell her old clothes.
Private letters made public

The book printed Mary Lincoln's personal letters, which shocked readers and ended her friendship with Keckley.
Mocked by a parody

Within months, a cruel joke book called "Behind the Seams" appeared, signed "Betsey Kickley."
Cost the author dearly

The book sold poorly, and many wealthy customers stopped hiring Keckley, which badly hurt her dressmaking business.