In 1600-1800, it was uncommon for women to be active representatives of American business. However, a few exceptions existed, and Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley was among them. This woman is an example of how an entrepreneur can master a particular dressmaking skill and mobilize all their resources and efforts to achieve the stipulated goal. Keckley deserves specific attention because her entrepreneurship allowed her to work her way from being an enslaved person to working in the White House.
To begin with, one should explain that Elizabeth Keckley had a difficult and eventful life. She was born into slavery in 1818, and she was forced to work at numerous plantations during her childhood and adolescence (McNeill, 2019). Being a seamstress, her mother taught her sewing, and Elizabeth started making dresses for white and freed African-American women when she was only a teenager (McNeill, 2019). It is evident that the clients paid money for Keckley’s products and skills, but a larger part of the revenues was taken by the family that owned Elizabeth. However, Keckley was determined to change her life for the better, and she managed to save the required sum to purchase freedom for herself and her son (Jones, 2020). It became one of the most significant events in the entrepreneur’s life.
After receiving freedom, Elizabeth moved to Washington, DC, where she worked as a seamstress. Even though she initially experienced some challenges, the woman managed to find many clients. One of them was Varina Davis, the wife of Jefferson Davis, Mississippi Senator and future Confederate President (Mann, 2020). Elizabeth’s products were of good quality and, therefore, requested by wealthy people of that time. That is why it was not surprising that Mary Todd Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln’s wife, took an interest in her services (Mann, 2020). As a result, Elizabeth became the First Lady’s personal designer and close friend. The seamstress “designed nearly all of Mary’s gowns during her time in the White House, including the dress she wore at Lincoln’s second inauguration” (McNeill, 2019, para. 9). Furthermore, Elizabeth had good personal qualities that made her create a charity organization to provide African Americans and wounded Union soldiers with food and money (McNeill, 2019). This information demonstrates that Keckley managed to succeed in Washington.
However, her success abruptly ended after she published her memoir in 1868. Behind the Scenes, Thirty Years a Slave, and Four Years in the White House was Keckley’s decision to tell a fascinating story of her life (Mann, 2020). The author described her life events in detail, and her time in the White House was not an exception. When Mary Lincoln read the autobiography, she decided that the parts about herself and the White House were a breach of confidence (McNeill, 2019). The First Lady ended their friendship, which destroyed Keckley’s reputation in Washington. After a while, she moved to Ohio and became the head of Wilberforce University’s Department of Sewing and Domestic Science Arts (Mann, 2020). This information demonstrates that Elizabeth still had a good reputation among professionals.
In conclusion, the essay presents the extraordinary and eventful life of Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley. She was a skillful seamstress who managed to free herself from slavery and start sewing dresses for wealthy Americans. Elizabeth was so successful that Mary Todd Lincoln hired her as a personal designer. Even though Keckely made a mistake when she published confidential information in her memoir, she had a good reputation in professional circles. Her life is an example that every person can reach success irrespective of their origin.
References
Jones, M. (2020). The book of awesome black Americans: Scientific pioneers, trailblazing entrepreneurs, barrier-breaking activists, and Afro-futurists. Mango Media.
Mann, L. (2020). From slavery to the White House: The extraordinary life of Elizabeth Keckly. The White House Historical Association. Web.
McNeill, L. (2019). 8 daring female entrepreneurs from history. Mental Floss. Web.