Elizabeth Keckley

author

Elizabeth Keckley

1818–1907

Born into slavery, she became a celebrated dressmaker in Washington, D.C., served as Mary Todd Lincoln’s modiste and confidante, and later told her own story in print. Her life connects fashion, freedom, and the human drama of the Civil War era.

1 Audiobook

Behind the Scenes; or, Thirty years a slave, and Four Years in the White House

Behind the Scenes; or, Thirty years a slave, and Four Years in the White House

by Elizabeth Keckley

About the author

Elizabeth Keckley was an American seamstress, entrepreneur, and writer who was born into slavery in 1818 and bought her freedom in 1855. After building a reputation for exceptional dressmaking in St. Louis, she moved to Washington, D.C., where her skill and discretion brought her into the circle of First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln.

She became known not only for her work as a dressmaker, but also for the unusual position she held in the Lincoln White House as a trusted confidante. In 1868, she published Behind the Scenes; or, Thirty Years a Slave, and Four Years in the White House, a memoir that remains one of the most distinctive firsthand accounts of slavery, self-emancipation, and life around the Lincolns.

Remembered today for her talent, determination, and candor, she stands out as a woman who turned hard-won independence into a remarkable public life. Her story offers a rare view of 19th-century America from someone who moved, through skill and grit, from bondage to influence.