Mary Todd Lincoln by Jean Baker

[ReignetteC]

(09-27-2019 03:17 PM)L Verge Wrote:  In case you married men haven't figured this out, women don't need medical excuses for going on shopping sprees... Much like some of us (male and female) can't contain ourselves when we get in a book store! And, there are times when husbands and children grate on nerves. Few male authors take into consideration that Lincoln's bouts with depression, his frequent absences in the early years, and his obsession with politics likely got on Mary's nerves as well. (and yes, she was quite interested in politics at the beginning -- until it started controlling her life, and the political bigwigs in D.C. didn't appreciate her.)

This does not excuse some of the public displays and tantrums that are attributed to Mary Lincoln, and I do believe that some of the speculation about medical issues might be accurate; but we will never know unless we exhume the body for DNA testing, and that is highly unlikely to happen.

In the past, I have recommended the book Crowns of Thorns and Glory. I continue to do so because it compares the Union First Lady with the Confederate First Lady, and a special point is made about merchants practically forcing things on Mary and also not telling her that an invoice would follow. Sort of like the car salesman today who tells you the base price and forgets to mention those never-ending add-ons.

Crowns of Thorns and Glory is a must for your Lincoln library. Laurie recommended it to me a few years ago at the Surratt Conference. (I found a copy on eBay.)

"With her husband's reelection [1864], Mary was no longer worried about her overdue bills, and neither, apparently, were her creditors. One merchant presented her a gift of an imported silk and point lace gown valued at $3500 to wear to the inaugural ball."