WEBVTT - The Old Clothes Scandal

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<v Speaker 1>School of Humans. Hello, my filthy little filth heads. Did

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<v Speaker 1>you enjoy the last episode with a bit of a cliffhanger? Wow,

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't that fun? But let me do a little bit

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<v Speaker 1>of a recap in case you forgot any of the

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<v Speaker 1>important details. In the last episode, I talked about Mary

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<v Speaker 1>Todd Lincoln. You guys know, she was the first Lady.

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<v Speaker 1>She was the wife of Abraham Lincoln. He was a

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<v Speaker 1>guy who did the Emancipation Proclamation and I also thought

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<v Speaker 1>that he was a little big a. I talked about

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<v Speaker 1>Mary Todd and then I also talked about her modiste

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<v Speaker 1>turned friend, Elizabeth Keckley. Elizabeth was a formerly enslaved woman

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<v Speaker 1>who bought her own freedom, moved to Washington, d c.

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<v Speaker 1>And became the dressmaker of the society elites. And you

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<v Speaker 1>guys know that I love to see if someone's gay

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<v Speaker 1>or nay. Well, a couple of scholars have sensed a

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<v Speaker 1>bit of queerness between Mary Todd and Elizabeth Keckley. You

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<v Speaker 1>know they're like, well, they hung out a lot, they

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<v Speaker 1>do a lot of things together. Also, Elizabeth said that

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<v Speaker 1>Mary Todd had a nice neck. Here go must be

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<v Speaker 1>a little gay. But you know, I also want to

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<v Speaker 1>be honest right, And I'm kind of non tally convinced

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<v Speaker 1>that they were in a gay relationship at all. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>I think more of what was going on is that

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<v Speaker 1>Mary Todd is extremely mentally ill, needy and codependent, and

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<v Speaker 1>Elizabeth was one of her few friends. She was disliked

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<v Speaker 1>by a lot of DC society people, and so she

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<v Speaker 1>was latching on to Elizabeth. She needed her all the

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<v Speaker 1>time to deal with her moods. At her every whim,

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<v Speaker 1>Mary Todd would have a meltdown and then request Elizabeth's company,

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<v Speaker 1>even though Elizabeth, as a dressmaker, had a business to run. Also,

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<v Speaker 1>is it really just a request when it's the first lady?

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<v Speaker 1>You kind of have to just do what she says,

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<v Speaker 1>which a bit of a power imbalance in their relationship.

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<v Speaker 1>But I'm not saying that Elizabeth didn't enjoy Mary Todd's company.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, they were friends. She clearly cared about her,

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<v Speaker 1>as we see in the book that Elizabeth Keckley wrote.

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<v Speaker 1>This book called Behind the Scenes, came out in eighteen

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<v Speaker 1>sixty eight, and she didn't necessarily want to write this book,

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<v Speaker 1>but she was encouraged to write it by some publishers.

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<v Speaker 1>They strongly suggested it they were like, hey, Elizabeth Keckley,

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<v Speaker 1>this would be a good idea, you know, because you

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<v Speaker 1>got to defend Mary Todd, defend her against what you

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<v Speaker 1>might ask. Well. The year before, in eighteen sixty seven,

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<v Speaker 1>Mary Todd Lincoln's reputation had been basically destroyed, and the

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<v Speaker 1>publishers were like, if you write about her and what

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<v Speaker 1>happened in your perspective, it might improve the whole scenario.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe people will like her again. Unfortunately, though, when Elizabeth

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<v Speaker 1>published this book actually made everything worse. Whoops. There was

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<v Speaker 1>significant backlash, not just because the book talked about the

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<v Speaker 1>intimate life of President Lincoln and Mary Todd, but also

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<v Speaker 1>because most of the book is Keckley talking about her

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<v Speaker 1>own life. People hated that. They're like, we don't care

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<v Speaker 1>about you, We want to hear about Mary Todd. I

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<v Speaker 1>gotta wait until the last chapter to know what happened.

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<v Speaker 1>And you might be wondering, well, what was it that

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<v Speaker 1>happened in eighteen sixty seven that was so bad? Well,

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<v Speaker 1>you're not gonna believe this, but Mary Todd was running

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<v Speaker 1>low on money, so she tried to sell her old clothes.

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<v Speaker 1>I know, isn't that the worst thing you've ever heard

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<v Speaker 1>scandalous a woman trying to sell her clothes for money.

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<v Speaker 1>Of all things, she had to stoop so low to

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<v Speaker 1>thrifting her goods. And of course when she did this,

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<v Speaker 1>when she came up with this scheme to sell her clothes,

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<v Speaker 1>she dragged her friend Elizabeth Keckley into the mess. Cue

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<v Speaker 1>the theme song. This is American filth and I'm Gabby Watts.

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<v Speaker 1>Every week I tell you a filthy story from American history.

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<v Speaker 1>In this week's episode, the Old Clothes Scandal.

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<v Speaker 2>I was out of tune.

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<v Speaker 1>In eighteen sixty seven, Mary Todd Lincoln was living in

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<v Speaker 1>Chicago and she was on the brink of poverty. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>she couldn't have for at her house, her other expenses.

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<v Speaker 1>While Abraham Lincoln was president, she had run up a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of debts at various stores. She had spent too

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<v Speaker 1>much money, and then he passed away and she didn't

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<v Speaker 1>have enough money to live off of. Even when Congress

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<v Speaker 1>was like, we'll give you Abraham Lincoln's salary for the

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<v Speaker 1>year because obviously he's not going to use it because

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<v Speaker 1>you know, as I said last week, he was dead,

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<v Speaker 1>but then she ran out of that money. She just

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<v Speaker 1>didn't have enough money for her life, and she was like,

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<v Speaker 1>oh God, oh God, what am I gonna do? What

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<v Speaker 1>am I gonna do? And so she wrote a letter

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<v Speaker 1>to her friend Elizabeth Keckley, who was still in Washington,

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<v Speaker 1>d c. That said, I have not the means to

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<v Speaker 1>meet the expenses of even the first class boarding house,

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<v Speaker 1>and must sell out and secure cheap rooms at some

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<v Speaker 1>place in the country. It will not be startling news

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<v Speaker 1>to you, my dear Lizzie, to learn that I must

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<v Speaker 1>sell a portion of my wardrobe to add to my

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<v Speaker 1>resources so as to enable me to live decently. I

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<v Speaker 1>have many costly things which I shall never wear. I

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<v Speaker 1>might as well turn them into money and thus add

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<v Speaker 1>to my income and make my circumstances easier. It is

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<v Speaker 1>humiliating to be placed in such a position. Now, Lizzie,

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<v Speaker 1>I want to ask a favor of you. It is

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<v Speaker 1>imperative that I should do something for my relief, and

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<v Speaker 1>I want you to meet me in New York between

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<v Speaker 1>the thirtieth of August and the fifth of September, to

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<v Speaker 1>assist me in disposing of a portion of my wardrobe. Yes,

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<v Speaker 1>that's right, folks, Marry time Lincoln was in such dire

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<v Speaker 1>circumstances two years after her husband's death, that she was

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<v Speaker 1>going to have to do something embarrassing, sell her clothes,

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<v Speaker 1>And here she is demanding that her friend meet her

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<v Speaker 1>in New York to be humiliated alongside her. And indeed,

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<v Speaker 1>unfortunately for Missus Lincoln, all of this would end up

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<v Speaker 1>being very embarrassing for her. Elizabeth Keckley understood this from

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<v Speaker 1>the beginning. When she received this letter, she felt that

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<v Speaker 1>something would go awry. She wrote, I thought at the

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<v Speaker 1>time that Missus Lincoln was borrowing trouble from the future,

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<v Speaker 1>and little dreamed that the event which she so dimly

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<v Speaker 1>foreshadowed would ever come to pass. But Elizabeth Keckley agreed

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<v Speaker 1>she went along with it, and her book she talked

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<v Speaker 1>about how she felt indebted to marry Todd because of

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<v Speaker 1>everything her husband had done for Black Americans. And also,

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<v Speaker 1>again this is when some people bring up the whole

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<v Speaker 1>gay argument that Elizabeth was acting out of romantic love

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<v Speaker 1>instead of just being married Todd's friend. Again, am I

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<v Speaker 1>convinced by this idea? Absolutely not? But is it fun

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<v Speaker 1>to think about? Absolutely yes. So Elizabeth, being the good

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<v Speaker 1>friend that she was, left her shop, closed it up

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<v Speaker 1>up and got ready to go to New York City

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<v Speaker 1>to meet up with Mary Todd, and indeed him was

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<v Speaker 1>a disaster. Keckley found Mary Todd staying at this shabby

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<v Speaker 1>hotel and Mary Todd was there incognito under a fake name,

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<v Speaker 1>Missus Clark, and when Elizabeth arrived, Mary Todd came down

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<v Speaker 1>into the lobby and a tizzy. She had been worried

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<v Speaker 1>that Elizabeth might not arrive. She said, why did you

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<v Speaker 1>not come to me yesterday? I was almost crazy when

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<v Speaker 1>I reached here last night and found you had not arrived.

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<v Speaker 1>Mary Todd, under the guise of missus Clark, immediately asked

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<v Speaker 1>the clerk to get Elizabeth the room next to hers.

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<v Speaker 1>But this clerk was a bitch, was like, I'm sorry,

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<v Speaker 1>there's no room for her on the third floor where

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<v Speaker 1>you're staying. She's gonna have to say somewhere else, which

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<v Speaker 1>was just the clerk being a dumbass racist, being like,

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<v Speaker 1>this woman is black, she can't be on the third

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<v Speaker 1>floor with you. Mary Todd was aghast. She was incredulous.

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<v Speaker 1>Racism in eighteen sixty seven unbelievable. So Mary Todd instead

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<v Speaker 1>moved her room to the attic, where Elizabeth was allowed

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<v Speaker 1>to stay. When they got to their adjoining rooms. Mary

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<v Speaker 1>Todd sat down in a huff. She said, I never

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<v Speaker 1>saw such unaccommodating people. I will give them a regular

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<v Speaker 1>going over in the morning. And then Keckley had to

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<v Speaker 1>remind her that this would do nothing. She was like, hey,

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<v Speaker 1>Mary Todd, you're in disguise. They don't know who you are.

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<v Speaker 1>She said, quote, they don't know you. Missus Lincoln would

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<v Speaker 1>be treated differently from Missus Clark. And see, that was

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<v Speaker 1>the whole problem with this old clothes scheme. Mary Todd

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<v Speaker 1>didn't want people to know who she was to save

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<v Speaker 1>her from the embarrassment of having to sell off her wares.

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<v Speaker 1>But the value of the clothes came from the fact

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<v Speaker 1>that they belonged to Mary Todd Lincoln, the former First Lady.

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<v Speaker 1>Before Keckley had arrived, Mary Todd had tried to hawk

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<v Speaker 1>some of her jewelry and the buyers were like, you

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<v Speaker 1>must be bananas if you want that much money for

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<v Speaker 1>these pieces, you random woman named Missus Clark. We don't

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<v Speaker 1>want this. And you might be wondering, how did these

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<v Speaker 1>people not recognize her? She was a former first Lady

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<v Speaker 1>after all. Well, not only was she going by Missus Clark,

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<v Speaker 1>she was also wearing a thick veil. Wow, what a disguise.

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<v Speaker 1>She was also speaking in a Gollum voice. Oh almostusk

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<v Speaker 1>Croslas martusup. Sorry, that wasn't a good accent. I do apologize,

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<v Speaker 1>and she wasn't doing that, if you can believe it.

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<v Speaker 1>But unfortunately, her disguise didn't last long because when she

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<v Speaker 1>was showing her jewelry to yet another potential customer, he

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<v Speaker 1>saw Mary Todd Lincoln engraved on one of the rings.

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<v Speaker 1>He was like, hey, are you Mary Todd? And she

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<v Speaker 1>was like, oh no, I've been discovered already. The next day,

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<v Speaker 1>the day that Elizabeth had arrived, this man, mister Keys

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<v Speaker 1>and his associate mister Brady, came to visit Mary Todd.

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<v Speaker 1>They listened to her tale of woe and they were like, yes, girl,

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<v Speaker 1>the government is treating you badly by not giving you

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<v Speaker 1>more money. If you put your clothes and jewelry in

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<v Speaker 1>our hands, we will quickly raise you a sum of

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<v Speaker 1>one hundred thousand dollars. That's basically one billion put jrillion

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<v Speaker 1>dillion badillion in today's money. Elizabeth Keckley was suspicious of

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<v Speaker 1>them from the jump. She didn't trust these guys. She

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<v Speaker 1>was like, who are they? Where did they come from?

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<v Speaker 1>And Mary Todd wasn't all the way convinced either. So

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<v Speaker 1>over the next couple of days, Mary Todd and Elizabeth

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<v Speaker 1>drove around to various clothing dealers, but nobody wanted to

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<v Speaker 1>buy these clothes, especially because look, they just belonged to

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<v Speaker 1>some random lady named missus Clark. They didn't know it

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<v Speaker 1>was Mary Todd. And Mary Todd was mad. She was like,

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<v Speaker 1>these are great old clothes, why are they buying them?

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<v Speaker 1>Mary Todd was being desperate even on this trip. She

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<v Speaker 1>was running out of money, so she eventually agreed to

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<v Speaker 1>mister Keys and mister Brady because she was like, well,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe their plan will be better than mine and will

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<v Speaker 1>help me get one gazillion dollars. Keys and Brady's first

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<v Speaker 1>plan was to guilt people into buying her clothes. They

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<v Speaker 1>were like, Mary Todd, I think you should reveal who

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<v Speaker 1>you are. Write some letters that detail all the terrible

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<v Speaker 1>things that have happened to you and how you don't

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<v Speaker 1>have any money. We'll show those letters around and then

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<v Speaker 1>people will certainly want to buy your clothes because they

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<v Speaker 1>feel bad for you, Like you won't be an embarrassment

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<v Speaker 1>they'll be an embarrassment for living in a country that

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<v Speaker 1>won't support the former First Lady. Elizabeth Keckley was like,

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<v Speaker 1>that plan is literally insane.

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<v Speaker 2>I think it's a bad idea.

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<v Speaker 1>But Mary Todd was like, too bad, I'm gonna do it.

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<v Speaker 1>I need money. And so mister Keys and mister Brady

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<v Speaker 1>they took these letters. They showed them around town, but

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<v Speaker 1>still no one wanted to buy anything. They're like, pishposh.

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<v Speaker 1>You know the First Lady, she should figure something out.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't need to help her. And oh god, was

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<v Speaker 1>Mary Todd getting even more desperate. This is how desperate

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<v Speaker 1>she got. She was the one who came up with

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<v Speaker 1>this idea. She was like, hey, well, if these people

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<v Speaker 1>you're showing the letters to aren't trying to give me

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<v Speaker 1>any money, what if we just publish them in the

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<v Speaker 1>newspaper so everyone can see them. Mister Keys and mister

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<v Speaker 1>Brady were like, freakin genius, let's do that. And then

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<v Speaker 1>mister Brady and mister Keys came back and they're like, hey,

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<v Speaker 1>Mary Todd, we have then another idea. What if we

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<v Speaker 1>publish these letters, but we use them as like an

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<v Speaker 1>advertisement for an auction where we sell all of your clothes.

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<v Speaker 1>We put all your clothes on display. People can come through,

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<v Speaker 1>people can see them and get a dress that was

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<v Speaker 1>worn by the former First Lady. And Mary Todd, even

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<v Speaker 1>though she knew this would be embarrassing to have all

0:14:43.405 --> 0:14:48.485
<v Speaker 1>these people ogling her clothes, she was like, yeah, I

0:14:48.565 --> 0:14:54.925
<v Speaker 1>guess this is what we gotta do. It's dire and

0:14:55.045 --> 0:14:58.005
<v Speaker 1>so they put the plan in action and it was

0:14:58.085 --> 0:15:07.925
<v Speaker 1>really bad. Be back after these soothing advertisements. Elizabeth Keckley

0:15:08.125 --> 0:15:12.485
<v Speaker 1>thought this whole publishing the letters in a newspaper and

0:15:12.605 --> 0:15:16.485
<v Speaker 1>then having a sale of the clothes was a bad idea.

0:15:18.005 --> 0:15:20.805
<v Speaker 1>She's like, then everybody's gonna know about your plight. They're

0:15:20.845 --> 0:15:22.925
<v Speaker 1>gonna make fun of you, and then they're gonna come

0:15:22.965 --> 0:15:25.645
<v Speaker 1>look at your clothes and be like, ho hum, this

0:15:25.805 --> 0:15:29.525
<v Speaker 1>stupid little lady doesn't have any money. He haw ha ha.

0:15:31.405 --> 0:15:33.885
<v Speaker 1>Elizabeth hated it, and then it got even worse for

0:15:33.965 --> 0:15:37.765
<v Speaker 1>her because after the letters were published in the newspaper,

0:15:38.405 --> 0:15:40.365
<v Speaker 1>Mary Todd was like, I gotta get out of here.

0:15:40.445 --> 0:15:43.685
<v Speaker 1>I'm gonna go back to Chicago. But Elizabeth, you stay here.

0:15:44.245 --> 0:15:49.125
<v Speaker 1>You deal with the sale of the clothes, not demanding

0:15:49.165 --> 0:15:53.445
<v Speaker 1>at all. This is crazy because Elizabeth Keckley had a

0:15:53.525 --> 0:15:56.005
<v Speaker 1>business in DC she needed to get back to, but

0:15:56.125 --> 0:15:58.645
<v Speaker 1>Mary Todd was like, no, no, no, deal with my shit,

0:15:58.725 --> 0:16:02.125
<v Speaker 1>and I'm going to go to Chicago. First of all,

0:16:02.925 --> 0:16:05.325
<v Speaker 1>the letters in the newspaper did not have the intended

0:16:05.325 --> 0:16:07.925
<v Speaker 1>to fact. People didn't really seem to feel that bad

0:16:08.005 --> 0:16:11.285
<v Speaker 1>for her. But it did get people to come out

0:16:11.325 --> 0:16:15.085
<v Speaker 1>to the auction. It was at a hotel, and let's

0:16:15.165 --> 0:16:18.445
<v Speaker 1>just say it was the talk of the town, the country,

0:16:19.645 --> 0:16:23.445
<v Speaker 1>but not in a good way. In her book Behind

0:16:23.485 --> 0:16:26.205
<v Speaker 1>the Scenes, Elizabeth included an article from the New York

0:16:26.285 --> 0:16:31.685
<v Speaker 1>Evening Express that detailed the events of the auction. It reads,

0:16:33.205 --> 0:16:36.085
<v Speaker 1>the publicity given to the articles on exhibition and for

0:16:36.245 --> 0:16:40.605
<v Speaker 1>sale has excited the public curiosity, and hundreds of people,

0:16:40.805 --> 0:16:45.845
<v Speaker 1>principally women with considerable leisure, daily thronged the rooms of

0:16:45.925 --> 0:16:50.365
<v Speaker 1>mister Brady. Twenty five dresses, folded or tossed about by

0:16:50.445 --> 0:16:55.445
<v Speaker 1>frequent examinations, lie exposed upon a closed piano and upon

0:16:55.565 --> 0:16:59.285
<v Speaker 1>a lounge. Shawls rich and rare are displayed upon the

0:16:59.405 --> 0:17:03.525
<v Speaker 1>backs of chairs. Furs, laces, and jewelry are in a

0:17:03.645 --> 0:17:08.645
<v Speaker 1>glass case. The feeling of the majority of visitors is

0:17:08.725 --> 0:17:12.885
<v Speaker 1>adverse to the course Missus Lincoln has thought proper to pursue,

0:17:13.565 --> 0:17:17.925
<v Speaker 1>and the criticisms are as severe as the quality of

0:17:18.045 --> 0:17:22.245
<v Speaker 1>some of the dresses. Some of them have been worn much.

0:17:22.845 --> 0:17:25.325
<v Speaker 1>They are jagged under the arms and at the bottom

0:17:25.365 --> 0:17:30.325
<v Speaker 1>of the skirt. Stains are on the lining. The peculiarity

0:17:30.365 --> 0:17:33.085
<v Speaker 1>of the dresses is that most of them are cut

0:17:33.245 --> 0:17:37.445
<v Speaker 1>low necked, a taste which some ladies attribute to Missus

0:17:37.525 --> 0:17:46.005
<v Speaker 1>Lincoln's appreciation of her own bust. Wow, they are dragging

0:17:46.125 --> 0:17:49.525
<v Speaker 1>her in this article. They're like, some of these dresses

0:17:49.565 --> 0:17:52.285
<v Speaker 1>are dirty, they're stained, they're kind of gross. A lot

0:17:52.325 --> 0:17:56.205
<v Speaker 1>of them are also out of fashion. She's also trying

0:17:56.285 --> 0:17:58.845
<v Speaker 1>to sell them for basically the same price she bought

0:17:58.965 --> 0:18:02.245
<v Speaker 1>them for. And then they say that whole thing about

0:18:02.285 --> 0:18:06.005
<v Speaker 1>the revealing neckline a little slut shame, is it not.

0:18:08.365 --> 0:18:10.885
<v Speaker 1>There were so many articles at the time about this sale.

0:18:11.605 --> 0:18:15.005
<v Speaker 1>Most of them ridiculed Mary Todd for the whole affair,

0:18:15.205 --> 0:18:18.485
<v Speaker 1>for the fact that she tried to beat incognito in disguise,

0:18:19.285 --> 0:18:21.885
<v Speaker 1>that she let her letters get published in the newspaper,

0:18:22.645 --> 0:18:26.485
<v Speaker 1>that the dresses weren't up to snuff. Meanwhile, it was

0:18:26.565 --> 0:18:30.645
<v Speaker 1>Elizabeth Keckley who had to set everything up, and some

0:18:30.805 --> 0:18:32.925
<v Speaker 1>of the dresses on display were actually some of her

0:18:33.005 --> 0:18:36.925
<v Speaker 1>own work, Like, can you imagine having to display these

0:18:37.045 --> 0:18:40.525
<v Speaker 1>gowns and then all these people walking by muttering complaints

0:18:40.565 --> 0:18:48.845
<v Speaker 1>about the dresses must have been horrible. Elizabeth Keckley, though,

0:18:49.005 --> 0:18:52.605
<v Speaker 1>was a good friend. She was seeing all these criticisms,

0:18:52.925 --> 0:18:56.765
<v Speaker 1>all of these editorials about Mary Todd, and she was like,

0:18:56.805 --> 0:18:59.605
<v Speaker 1>why don't they have any sympathy for her? She wrote

0:18:59.605 --> 0:19:01.685
<v Speaker 1>a letter to the editor of the New York Evening

0:19:01.805 --> 0:19:05.125
<v Speaker 1>News defending Mary Todd, and one of the points she

0:19:05.205 --> 0:19:09.685
<v Speaker 1>made it was like, the Empress of France frequently disposes

0:19:09.765 --> 0:19:13.845
<v Speaker 1>of her cast off wardrobe and publicly too, without being

0:19:13.885 --> 0:19:18.805
<v Speaker 1>subjected to any of these unkind remarks. Elizabeth's just like, yeah,

0:19:19.045 --> 0:19:21.005
<v Speaker 1>the Empress of France can do this and to get

0:19:21.085 --> 0:19:23.805
<v Speaker 1>rid of her clothes, Mary Todd should be allowed to

0:19:23.845 --> 0:19:32.685
<v Speaker 1>do it as well. And here's the extra sad, embarrassing

0:19:32.805 --> 0:19:37.685
<v Speaker 1>thing for Mary Todd, this auction, this sale wasn't worth it.

0:19:39.285 --> 0:19:44.045
<v Speaker 1>She actually lost money, very few items sold, and it

0:19:44.165 --> 0:19:48.925
<v Speaker 1>was more expensive to set everything up. Mary Todd obviously

0:19:49.125 --> 0:19:53.685
<v Speaker 1>was very upset that this all happened. Also, Elizabeth sent

0:19:53.765 --> 0:19:56.325
<v Speaker 1>her a letter saying that mister Brady and mister Keys

0:19:57.005 --> 0:20:01.685
<v Speaker 1>weren't very quote energetic at the sale, and after talking

0:20:01.725 --> 0:20:04.365
<v Speaker 1>to a few people, Mary Todd and Elizabeth realized that

0:20:04.525 --> 0:20:08.525
<v Speaker 1>no one really knew who they were. They're just some

0:20:08.725 --> 0:20:14.205
<v Speaker 1>random guys. Mary Todd felt tricked by at the same time,

0:20:14.245 --> 0:20:16.605
<v Speaker 1>maybe she should have done some fact checking before, uh,

0:20:16.885 --> 0:20:20.925
<v Speaker 1>just going along with what they suggested. I'm just gonna

0:20:20.925 --> 0:20:23.485
<v Speaker 1>say that now, is just like, if two random guys

0:20:23.605 --> 0:20:27.005
<v Speaker 1>kind of approach you, like, don't listen to them. That's

0:20:27.085 --> 0:20:33.045
<v Speaker 1>just like some advice in general. The sale was obviously

0:20:33.125 --> 0:20:37.405
<v Speaker 1>a failure, but then mister Brady and mister Keyes went

0:20:37.565 --> 0:20:42.485
<v Speaker 1>a little crazy. They briefly stole Mary Todd's clothes. They

0:20:42.525 --> 0:20:44.565
<v Speaker 1>were like, Hey, since we couldn't get anyone to buy

0:20:44.645 --> 0:20:48.045
<v Speaker 1>this stuff, what if we make it a traveling exhibition.

0:20:49.285 --> 0:20:54.845
<v Speaker 1>Come and see crazy Mary Todd's clothes. So yeah, they

0:20:54.925 --> 0:20:59.325
<v Speaker 1>took her clothes without her consent and brought them to Providence,

0:20:59.405 --> 0:21:04.685
<v Speaker 1>Rhode Island. Luckily for Mary Todd's reputation, though the authority

0:21:04.765 --> 0:21:08.245
<v Speaker 1>is Improvidence didn't allow mister Brady and mister Keys to

0:21:08.325 --> 0:21:12.445
<v Speaker 1>put these clothes on display, so they returned the wardrobe

0:21:12.525 --> 0:21:18.325
<v Speaker 1>back to New York. Elizabeth Cackley ended up staying in

0:21:18.445 --> 0:21:24.205
<v Speaker 1>New York for two months doing Mary Todd's bidding. I

0:21:24.325 --> 0:21:27.325
<v Speaker 1>really disliked Mary Todd's treatment of Elizabeth in this situation,

0:21:28.245 --> 0:21:33.965
<v Speaker 1>especially because Mary Todd never ended up paying Elizabeth. Elizabeth

0:21:33.965 --> 0:21:37.125
<v Speaker 1>wrote in her book quote Missus Lincoln's venture proved so

0:21:37.325 --> 0:21:40.525
<v Speaker 1>disastrous that she was unable to reward me for my services,

0:21:40.965 --> 0:21:43.165
<v Speaker 1>and I was compelled to take in sewing to pay

0:21:43.245 --> 0:21:46.765
<v Speaker 1>for my daily bread. My New York expedition has made

0:21:46.805 --> 0:21:50.805
<v Speaker 1>me richer in experience but poorer in purse. During the

0:21:51.005 --> 0:21:54.365
<v Speaker 1>entire winter, I have worked early and late, and practiced

0:21:54.405 --> 0:21:59.005
<v Speaker 1>the closest economy. Missus Lincoln's business demanded much of my time,

0:21:59.445 --> 0:22:01.725
<v Speaker 1>and it was a constant source of trouble to me.

0:22:06.445 --> 0:22:09.085
<v Speaker 1>After everything in New York was wrapped up, Keckley returned

0:22:09.125 --> 0:22:12.205
<v Speaker 1>to DC. Mary Todd was still in Chicago living with

0:22:12.285 --> 0:22:16.085
<v Speaker 1>one of her sons and Elizabeth. She was feeling really

0:22:16.125 --> 0:22:20.085
<v Speaker 1>bad for her friend, even though her friend ruined her

0:22:20.165 --> 0:22:24.325
<v Speaker 1>life for a little bit. And so when Elizabeth Keckley

0:22:24.405 --> 0:22:28.205
<v Speaker 1>was fretting over Mary Todd's reputation, these publishers approached her

0:22:28.245 --> 0:22:29.885
<v Speaker 1>and were like hey, you should write a book about

0:22:29.885 --> 0:22:32.445
<v Speaker 1>the whole thing. And that's when we got behind the

0:22:32.525 --> 0:22:35.845
<v Speaker 1>scenes the account. They were like, hey, if you tell

0:22:35.925 --> 0:22:38.405
<v Speaker 1>her story, you know, people can really sympathize with her

0:22:38.445 --> 0:22:40.565
<v Speaker 1>and understand what she was going through where she was

0:22:40.645 --> 0:22:44.765
<v Speaker 1>coming from. Though, you know, their publishers and they were

0:22:44.805 --> 0:22:46.685
<v Speaker 1>probably just like, this is a great way we could

0:22:46.725 --> 0:22:50.725
<v Speaker 1>make some money. Money, mon no money. So she wrote

0:22:50.765 --> 0:22:54.245
<v Speaker 1>the book and at the very end of it, there's

0:22:54.245 --> 0:22:58.645
<v Speaker 1>an appendix which includes some of Mary Todd's personal letters

0:22:58.925 --> 0:23:04.405
<v Speaker 1>to Elizabeth Keckley. Now, Elizabeth was probably pressured to include

0:23:04.485 --> 0:23:07.085
<v Speaker 1>these or simply not told that they would be featured

0:23:07.085 --> 0:23:12.565
<v Speaker 1>in the book, and then when behind the scenes came out, unfortunately,

0:23:13.165 --> 0:23:16.805
<v Speaker 1>it had the exact opposite effect of fixing Mary Todd's reputation.

0:23:18.645 --> 0:23:21.605
<v Speaker 1>Mary Todd looked even worse and also kind of dumb,

0:23:22.645 --> 0:23:26.125
<v Speaker 1>trusting these guys she didn't know, and also selling her

0:23:26.165 --> 0:23:29.965
<v Speaker 1>clothes in general. There was also a lot of personal

0:23:30.085 --> 0:23:34.005
<v Speaker 1>details about her and her husband's relationship. There were these

0:23:34.165 --> 0:23:38.365
<v Speaker 1>letters Elizabeth Keckley wrote about some of her emotional outbursts.

0:23:39.685 --> 0:23:43.965
<v Speaker 1>Mary Todd was mortified. Mary Todd's son tried to buy

0:23:44.085 --> 0:23:47.125
<v Speaker 1>up as many books as possible, and eventually he was

0:23:47.205 --> 0:23:50.205
<v Speaker 1>able to get these publishers to stop printing the book.

0:23:58.205 --> 0:24:01.165
<v Speaker 1>And then, guys, this is really terrible. After the book

0:24:01.205 --> 0:24:05.805
<v Speaker 1>came out, Mary Todd, Lincoln, and Elizabeth Keckley I first

0:24:05.805 --> 0:24:11.045
<v Speaker 1>spoke again. That's the real bad thing about the Old

0:24:11.125 --> 0:24:15.605
<v Speaker 1>Clothes scandal. It ended a beautiful female friendship. And by

0:24:15.645 --> 0:24:19.045
<v Speaker 1>beautiful I mean kind of imbalanced, and uh, Mary Todd

0:24:19.205 --> 0:24:24.045
<v Speaker 1>definitely took advantage of Elizabeth. But anyway, after all of this,

0:24:25.165 --> 0:24:28.245
<v Speaker 1>Mary Todd traveled around Europe for a bit and when

0:24:28.285 --> 0:24:30.725
<v Speaker 1>she got back to the United States, her son Tad died.

0:24:31.965 --> 0:24:34.325
<v Speaker 1>That was two of her sons gone, and her husband.

0:24:35.205 --> 0:24:38.205
<v Speaker 1>She started having these hallucinations and her other son, Robert,

0:24:38.725 --> 0:24:41.565
<v Speaker 1>thought she should be committed to an asylum. The only

0:24:41.645 --> 0:24:44.285
<v Speaker 1>problem is that the only way you commit somebody is

0:24:44.365 --> 0:24:47.525
<v Speaker 1>you have to basically sue them, put them on trial,

0:24:48.205 --> 0:24:50.765
<v Speaker 1>and determine whether or not they're crazy enough to be

0:24:50.845 --> 0:24:54.925
<v Speaker 1>sent to one. And that's what happened. Mary Todd one

0:24:55.005 --> 0:24:56.445
<v Speaker 1>day was just like, oh, I'm in a court room,

0:24:56.485 --> 0:24:58.405
<v Speaker 1>what's going on? And then they were all like, you're crazy,

0:24:58.525 --> 0:25:02.725
<v Speaker 1>and they committed her. She didn't stay very long. By

0:25:02.805 --> 0:25:05.325
<v Speaker 1>this point, she was in poor health. She had bad vision,

0:25:05.925 --> 0:25:09.325
<v Speaker 1>she had pain, some people think she might have had diabetes,

0:25:10.805 --> 0:25:12.525
<v Speaker 1>and at the age of sixty three, she died of

0:25:12.565 --> 0:25:19.845
<v Speaker 1>a stroke. Elizabeth Keckley fared even worse when she got

0:25:19.885 --> 0:25:23.045
<v Speaker 1>back to DC. She lost all of her clients. She

0:25:23.125 --> 0:25:25.285
<v Speaker 1>had been involved with the scandal and nobody wanted to

0:25:25.325 --> 0:25:29.885
<v Speaker 1>be associated with her, and she died destitute at a

0:25:29.925 --> 0:25:38.245
<v Speaker 1>boarding house for black women. Isn't that depressing? Very sad?

0:25:39.085 --> 0:25:43.125
<v Speaker 1>Two girl bosses suffering. Some people believe that Mary Todd

0:25:43.165 --> 0:25:46.725
<v Speaker 1>Lincoln and Elizabeth Keckley did rekindle their friendship in later years.

0:25:47.765 --> 0:25:50.685
<v Speaker 1>There's no proof of that, but sometimes you just want

0:25:50.725 --> 0:25:56.325
<v Speaker 1>two girl bosses to reconcile. And you guys know this

0:25:56.445 --> 0:25:59.165
<v Speaker 1>that every episode of American Filth we learn a lesson,

0:26:00.805 --> 0:26:04.125
<v Speaker 1>And I think the lesson here is that you should

0:26:04.125 --> 0:26:10.965
<v Speaker 1>buy vintage clothes because maybe it'll do some good. For example,

0:26:11.205 --> 0:26:15.605
<v Speaker 1>it might help two women remain friends. So if you

0:26:15.685 --> 0:26:19.005
<v Speaker 1>don't buy that musty card again, you hate women and

0:26:19.125 --> 0:26:28.285
<v Speaker 1>female friendship. Cue the credits. American Filth is a production

0:26:28.365 --> 0:26:30.685
<v Speaker 1>of School of Humans and iHeart Podcast. This episode was

0:26:30.725 --> 0:26:32.885
<v Speaker 1>produce rent and hosted by me Gbby Watts and Our

0:26:32.925 --> 0:26:36.765
<v Speaker 1>theme song is by Jesse Niswanger. Our executive producers are

0:26:37.085 --> 0:26:39.605
<v Speaker 1>or Jenny Prescott, Elsie Croley, and Brandon Barr And you

0:26:39.685 --> 0:26:42.165
<v Speaker 1>can follow along with the pod on Instagram at American

0:26:42.245 --> 0:26:45.365
<v Speaker 1>filth Pod. Also, you know, give the show review on

0:26:45.485 --> 0:26:48.845
<v Speaker 1>whatever platform that you're listening to it on. Give it

0:26:48.925 --> 0:26:51.485
<v Speaker 1>some comments, give us some stars, Send it to a friend,

0:26:51.605 --> 0:26:54.565
<v Speaker 1>send it to an enemy, and I'll talk with you

0:26:54.765 --> 0:27:13.765
<v Speaker 1>next time. School of Humans