Keckley was a former slave who became a successful Washington, D.C., dressmaker — and a confidante of Mary Todd Lincoln. This intimate bond allowed her to witness the happy times as well as the tragic events that unfolded within...

2017 Reprint of 1868 Edition.  An autobiographical narrative, Behind the Scenes traces Elizabeth Keckley's life from her enslavement in Virginia and North Carolina to her time as seamstress to Mary Todd Lincoln in the White House dur...