Mary's Move from the White House

[L Verge]

It just dawned on my feeble brain that that large an array of trunks would not be unusual given the amount of clothes that a fashionable female wore at one time -- chemise, corset, chemisette, pantalets, layers of petticoats, the hoop (or crinoline), an over-petticoat, and one dress that could have up to ten or twelve yards of material in it. (Donna, did I leave anything out?). Shoes and stockings would take up additional space. My guess would be that one steamer trunk could hold about three days' worth of outfits. The First Lady of the Land would certainly require more than that - even if she were not addicted to fashion.

Then you need to count jewelry, hair-bobs, clothes for Tad (and maybe Robert), keepsakes, photos, things that the Lincolns had purchased for the White House, etc. I don't think we can blame the large amount of luggage on Mary's eccentricities. Elizabeth Taylor reportedly traveled with a large amount of luggage also in a day when outfits were a tad less cumbersome.