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Mrs. Lincoln's dressmaker : a novel / Jennifer Chiaverini.

Summary:

"In Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker, novelist Jennifer Chiaverini presents a stunning account of the friendship that blossomed between Mary Todd Lincoln and her seamstress, Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Keckley, a former slave who gained her professional reputation in Washington, D.C. by outfitting the city's elite. Keckley made history by sewing for First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln within the White House, a trusted witness to many private moments between the President and his wife, two of the most compelling figures in American history. In March 1861, Mrs. Lincoln chose Keckley from among a number of applicants to be her personal modiste, responsible not only for creating the First Lady's gowns, but also for dressing Mrs. Lincoln in the beautiful attire Keckley had fashioned. The relationship between the two women quickly evolved, as Keckley was drawn into the intimate life of the Lincoln family, supporting Mary Todd Lincoln in the loss of first her son, and then her husband to the assassination that stunned the nation and the world. Keckley saved scraps from the dozens of gowns she made for Mrs. Lincoln, eventually piecing together a tribute known as the Mary Todd Lincoln Quilt. She also saved memories, which she fashioned into a book, Behind the Scenes: Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House. Upon its publication, Keckley's memoir created a scandal that compelled Mary Todd Lincoln to sever all ties with her, but in the decades since, Keckley's story has languished in the archives. In this impeccably researched, engrossing novel, Chiaverini brings history to life in rich, moving style.-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9780525953616
  • ISBN: 0525953612
  • ISBN: 9780142180358
  • Physical Description: 356 pages ; 24 cm
  • Publisher: New York : Dutton, 2013.
Subject: Keckley, Elizabeth, approximately 1818-1907 > Fiction.
Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882 > Fiction.
Women dressmakers > Fiction.
Female friendship > Fiction.
Presidents' spouses > United States > Fiction.
Presidents' spouses > Fiction.
Women's friendships.
Genre: Historical fiction.

Available copies

  • 83 of 94 copies available at NC Cardinal. (Show)
  • 1 of 1 copy available at McDowell County Public Library.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 94 total copies.
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Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Old Fort Branch Library FIC CHI (Text) 37810435039804 Adult Fiction Available -