Elizabeth Keckley

Biography

Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley (February 1818 – May 1907) was an American seamstress, activist, and writer who lived in Washington, D.C. She was the personal dressmaker (modiste) and confidante of Mary Todd Lincoln. An African American, Keckley also started the Contraband Relief Association in August 1862, later called the Ladies’ Freedmen and Soldiers’ Relief Association, to help formerly enslaved people and the families of Black soldiers during the Civil War. Keckley was born enslaved to Armistead Burwell who had also fathered her.

Explore Wikipedia contributors ↗