The “rubber box” or did Laura Keene indeed held Lincoln’s head?

[L Verge]

(09-11-2014 10:07 AM)Gene C Wrote:  How would Laura Keene have been dressed, had she made it into the presidential box? With those big dresses, making it up the stairs, down that narrow corridor, and finally into the box, it must have been very crowded, even for a short period of time. And how quickly could she have gotton to the box? That's why I am a bit skeptical at this point.

For you fashion experts. How much personal space would Mary, Clara and Laura occupy or need the way they were dressed that night. Do we know what Mary wore? I don't recall any discussion of that before.

A conservative estimate on the diameter of each lady's hoop would be 3-4 feet, and that is assuming that they had a medium hoop on - not the larger hoops that were designed for ball gowns. Of course, you also have to take into consideration whether or not the ladies were seated at any point.

I would assume that Mary was so overcome that she would be seated and not taking up as much space. Did Clara sit down to tend to Rathbone? Now, Laura would have taken up even more space if she seated herself on the floor. Those hoops collapse down to even larger size.

I also take into consideration the space taken up by the rockers on Lincoln's chair. Being raised in a Victorian home, I am well aware that those rockers reach out a distance from the back of the chair and viciously attack the ankles of anyone who gets close!

As for Mary's dress, all I know is that it was a black and white striped fabric. I'm sure that it was not a ball gown. I believe it was given to the wife of a White House messenger (Slade?), but I don't know what happened to it after that.

The Chicago Historical Society once claimed to have a scrap of its fabric - along with her cloak and bonnet - but I have also seen reference that Mrs. Keckly gave those items to Wilberforce College, and they were missing back in the 1960s.