Mrs. Keckly

After seeing the movie LINCOLN, I couldn't help but wonder about the character of "Mrs. Keckley," played by Gloria Reuben.  She was the African American woman we see with Mrs. Lincoln from time to time; in the movie, their relationship isn't all that clear.  After the movie, my husband and I went to the Lincoln Memorial to pay homage and in the bookstore there I acquired MRS. LINCOLN AND MRS. KECKLY by Jennifer Fleischner.  Elizabeth Keckly (sometimes "Keckley") was a well-known Washington, D.C. seamstress who became Mary Todd Lincoln's dressmaker during the latter's White House years--not only her dressmaker, but also her close confidante.  I learned of Keckly's remarkable journey from slavery (she bought herself out of slavery) to successful businesswoman to First Lady intimate.   It's a story that could be a movie in its own right.  It certainly makes for a very good book.