The History of Fashion From The Black Perspective. Elizabeth Keckley: From Slave to Mary Todd Lincoln's Fashion Designer.

             Did you see the recent movie, Lincoln? If you did, you may have noticed the character, Elizabeth Keckley, Mary Todd Lincoln’s dressmaker. As I watched the movie, I wanted to know more about this person and how she became the companion and friend to the first lady. I was curious… I knew Mrs. Lincoln had a “dressmaker,” in those days White women of means had someone to make their clothes. That was not unusual; however, I was not aware of the depth of their employer -employee relationship.

           Who was Elizabeth Keckley?  How did she, working as a ‘seamstress’ or ‘dressmaker,’ come to be a close friend and companion of the first lady at of the United States? My experience as a fashion designer fueled my interest in the life of a Black fashion designer who had such high status at that time in American history.

          The movie was a Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy production, and I allowed for the fact that they may have taken some creative license; therefore, I proceeded to do my own research. I was fascinated with the facts I uncovered, and I will share them with you.

          I found a picture of Elizabeth Keckley (Keckly) and I have to give credit to the movie makers for their realistic casting because Gloria Reuben, who played the part, had a remarkable physical resemblance to the real person. 





Gloria Reuben as Elizabeth Keckley with Sally Fields as Mary Lincoln in the movie Lincoln.

          Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley, also known as Lizzie, was born a slave around 1818 in Dinwiddie, Virginia, although there is some speculation as to the exact year of her birth because of the way slave records were kept. Her parents were listed as George Pleasant and Agnes Hobbs. George Pleasant was a slave on another plantation, and eventually was moved out of state; therefore, Elizabeth seldom saw her father, but his love for her was unwavering as expressed through letters over his lifetime. She would discover, as her mother lay dying, that her actual father was her mother’s White master, Colonel Armstead Burwell.

           Although Elizabeth suffered many tribulations as a slave, she maintained a positive attitude about the circumstances of her life. Perceived as a beautiful woman, Elizabeth was also self-confident, self-determined, and maintained an independent attitude which may have been the reasons for her being brutally whipped – they were traits that her masters felt needed to be beat out of her.  She was violated by a White man over many years; in fact, it seems that her master gave her to his friend as a concubine. As a result of this unwilling relationship, in 1839 Elizabeth gave birth to a son, George. Despite all of these emotional upheavals in the merciless, ruthless, and inhumane atmosphere of the slave environment, Elizabeth credited her personal strength to her experiences while being a slave.

        Elizabeth established herself as a valuable dressmaker and built a clientele of wealthy high society women. In fact, during a two year period she was able to make enough money through her sewing skills to support her money-strapped master’s family.

         Her master moved to St. Louis where Elizabeth met and married James Keckley; however, it was a short marriage – some have expressed the belief that her independent attitude got in the way of the relationship. Elizabeth Keckley was born ahead of the formal women’s rights movement, but she had an affinity to the cause.

        In November of 1855, with loans from her wealthy clientele, Elizabeth was able to pay $1, 200 to purchase her own freedom. She had used her networking skills to build a viable business, and respect for her dressmaking/ design talent was appreciated through the social circles. By 1860, she had moved to Washington, D.C. and attracted the attention of the wives of the elite: Mrs. Jefferson Davis, Mrs. Robert E. Lee, Stephen Douglas, and of course Mrs. Abraham Lincoln. It was a known fact that before the civil war, confident that the South would win, Mrs. Davis offered to take Elizabeth home with as her personal designer. Elizabeth turned down the offer and chose to stay with the North.

         This woman, born a slave, eventually had 20 employees, and was recognized in the exclusive society for her expertise in fit and design. She became a constant companion to Mary Todd, she was with the family: when Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address; at fundraising events for the civil war efforts; when the Lincoln’s lost their son to typhoid in February, 1862 - even though her own son had been killed in the Civil War (George had enlisted as a white man) in August of 1861; to comfort after the president Lincoln's assassination; to personally help Mary Lincoln sell garments to help raise money when the first lady was struggling financially.   

        In 1868 Keckley wrote a memoir that would be the unwitting cause for ending that remarkable connection. There is a lot of controversy  surrounding the book, and I beg you to read it so that we can discuss it... I really want to have that discussion. 

      The book, Behind the Scenes: Or, Thirty Years as a Slave and Four Years in the White House, is a fascinating read. It is FREE online... Please take the time...

  https://archive.org/details/behindscenesorth00keck 

and the kindle edition is free.

http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Scenes-Thirty-years-slave-ebook/dp/B0082P4F7O/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1407469245&sr=1-3&keywords=elizabeth+keckley+behind+the+scenes

       The last years of her life were difficult for Elizabeth. In 1892 she taught dressmaking and design at Wiberforce University; sadly, she had to resign after only one year - she had a stroke.
       Although the records are sketchy, it is known that in May 1907 Elizabeth Keckley died in the National Home for Destitute Colored Women and Children in Washington, D.C.. Ironicly, it was an institution that was established using contributions from the Contraband Association founded by Elizabeth in 1862 to give support to recently freed slaves and returning civil war soldiers.  

At the time of her death Elizabeth Keckley was 88 years old, and destitute.





Mary Lincoln wearing an Elizabeth Keckley design in the 1850s. This is on display in the Smithsonian.