Behind the scenes, or, Thirty years a slave and four years in the White House
by Elizabeth Keckley
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A former slave's intimate memoir of the Lincoln White House, a timeless addition to the canons of African American and Civil War literatureOriginally published in 1868-when it was attacked as an "indecent book" authored by a "traitorous eavesdropper"-Behind the Scenes is the story of Elizabeth Keckley, who began her life as a slave and became a privileged witness to the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. Keckley bought her freedom at the age of thirty-seven and set up a successful dressmaking business in Washington, D.C. She became modiste to Mary Todd Lincoln and in time her friend and confidante, a relationship that continued after Lincoln's assassination. In documenting that friendship-often using the First Lady's own letters-Behind the Scenes fuses the slave narrative with the political memoir. It remains extraordinary for its poignancy, candor, and historical perspective.First time in Penguin Classics
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Subjects
Biography, Relations with African Americans, Slaves, African American women, Dressmakers, Women slaves, Black Women, Biography & Autobiography, History, Nonfiction, Employees, Lincoln, mary todd, 1818-1882, Lincoln, abraham, 1809-1865, African american women, Slaves, united statesPeople
Mary Todd Lincoln (1818-1882), Elizabeth Keckley (ca. 1818-1907), Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)Places
United StatesShowing 7 featured editions. View all 7 editions?
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Edition Notes
Includes bibliographical references (p. [xxii]-xxiv).
Originally published: New York : G.W. Carleton & Co., 1868.
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| September 16, 2021 | Edited by ImportBot | import existing book |
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