But the narrative is less about her than about her employers. The story becomes a revelation of the life ‘behind the scenes’ of the White House where she lived and worked for four years, until Lincoln’s assassination left her out of a job. Keckly tells us how she worked her way up to financial independence by being a skilled seamstress, eventually serving as Mrs Lincoln’s private tailor (or modiste as she pointedly calls herself, drawing attention to the artistry and skill that this label suggests). Although it begins as a slave narrative, revealing in a matter-of-fact way the horrors Keckly had to endure until her thirties when she bought her own freedom – including familial separation, cruel owners, brutal beatings, rape and ensuing pregnancy – the narrative shifts focus and form halfway through and becomes the story of a successful businesswoman with unparalleled insight into the lives of the highest-ranking political couple in the land: President and Mrs Lincoln. (Whilst her published name is ‘Keckley’, ‘Keckly’ is the spelling she used in the rest of her life). But Keckly’s autobiography stands out for several reasons. We have seen some of these accounts already in Ten-Minute Book Club so far. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Behind the Scenes is both modern and readable.By 1868, when Behind the Scenes was published, readers were familiar with the genre of the slave narrative, which gave vital and moving eyewitness accounts of the atrocities of slavery and helped to fuel the abolition movement. It’s an inspiring tale that provides a personal account of one of the most volatile times in American history.

Despite her limiting circumstances, Elizabeth Keckley earned her freedom and became a successful entrepreneur. One of her most notable clients was Mary Todd Lincoln, with whom she developed a close friendship.īehind the Scenes is a harrowing story of one woman’s unshakable drive. She ventured North and started a career as a dressmaker to influential women in political circles. Elizabeth was a gifted seamstress who used her skills to save money to buy her and her son’s freedom. One attack resulted in the birth of her son, whom she named George. Keckley had unprecedented access, giving insight into their state during and after the Civil War.Įlizabeth Keckley was born into slavery and experienced a traumatic upbringing riddled with physical and sexual violence. Elizabeth Keckley reveals the hardships of slavery and the changing political climate in Washington amongst the country’s most powerful couple, Abraham and Mary Lincoln.

Behind the scenes by elizabeth keckley