The Elizabeth Keckley Reader, Volume 2

The Elizabeth Keckley Reader: Volume Two--Artistry, Culture & Commerce--edited by Sheila Smith McKoy, expands on the Elizabeth Keckley Reader series inspired by the remarkable life of Elizabeth Keckley. A slave in Hillsborough, NC, Keckley went on to buy her freedom. She became a noted seamstress in Civil War-era Washington, DC, and was most famously the confidante of First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln. Volume Two explores Keckley as an independent businesswoman, acclaimed dress designer, and craftswoman. She achieved critical success within a few years of buying her freedom and went on to design and make couture for some of the nation's most prominent women, including Mrs. Jefferson Davis, as well as Mary Todd Lincoln. Volume Two features scholarly works on Keckley, her short-lived commercial success, her aesthetic, and her contributions to American fashion design, as well as the visual nature of her writing in her narrative, Behind the Scenes (published in 1868). Keckley's skills, sense of design, and determination help her rise from slavery to become a successful black entrepreneur and community leader in Washington, DC. Includes photographs.