Behind the Scenes: Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House

"Behind the Scenes" is both a slave narrative and a portrait of the First Family, especially Mary Todd Lincoln, and is considered controversial for breaking privacy about them. It was also her claim as a businesswoman to be part of the new mixed-race, middle-class that was visible among the leadership of the black community.

Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley (1818 – 1907) was a former slave who became a successful seamstress, civil activist, and author in Washington, DC. She was best known as the personal modiste and confidante of Mary Todd Lincoln, the First Lady. She created an independent business in the capital based on clients who were the wives of the government elite. Among them were Varina Davis, wife of Jefferson Davis; and Mary Anna Custis Lee, wife of Robert E. Lee.

Where I Was Born

Girlhood and Its Sorrows

How I Gained My Freedom

In the Family of Senator Jefferson Davis

My Introduction to Mrs. Lincoln

Willie Lincoln's Death-bed

Washington in 1862-3

Candid Opinions

Behind the Scenes

The Second Inauguration

The Assassination of President Lincoln

Mrs. Lincoln Leaves the White House

The Origin of the Rivalry Between Mr. Douglas and Mr. Lincoln

Old Friends

The Secret History of Mrs. Lincoln's Wardrobe in New York