Behind the Seams; by a Nigger Woman Who Took in Work from Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Davis
New York: The National News Company, 1945. 8vo. Near Fine. Item #17790
A very nice copy of an extremely scarce 1945 Limited facsimile Edition, this being number 164 of just 200 published.
A racist satire, Behind the Seams was originally published just three years after the end of the Civil War and during the height of Reconstruction when being free as an African-American was at its most difficult time.
The 1st Edition of this piece appeared shortly after Elizabeth Keckley's "Behind the Scenes or, Thirty Years a Slave, and Four Years in the White House", also published in 1868, and is a satire of that work, (Monaghan, 904). Keckley's African-American narrative was one of the most controversial of its day and ruined the reputations of both Keckley and Mary Todd Lincoln.
This facsimile edition features a two page "Prefatory Note" by "A. Lincoln Fann" and is dated April 1, 1945.
Typographical wraps. Staple binding.
The mildest of edge wear, including a very shallow crease along the upper edge. Mild age toning to edges. Scarce.
Price: $225.00