Mary Lincoln’s Flannel Pajamas and Other Stories from the First Ladies’ Closet
Did Mary Lincoln really wear flannel pajamas?
Why was Martha Washington’s “dress” turned into a pincushion?
How did Julia Grant’s hat show support for the Confederacy?
Did Edith Wilson really track mud onto the White House carpets?
These are some of the stories (all true) that have been told about some of the First Ladies you may have forgotten about—or never knew. The stories are either factual, actual or “metaphorical” using an item of their clothing to propel the tale.
You love their gowns at the Smithsonian; now you can love them better!
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Feather Schwartz Foster is an author and historian by avocation, specializing in the First Ladies between Martha Washington and Mamie Eisenhower. She has published four books, has been a guest on NPR-Radio stations, and is featured on C-SPAN’s series on the First Ladies. She has a substantive Presidential Library of more than 1,500 books, and has made more than 300 presentations, programs and lectures. She has been an instructor at the Christopher Wren Society (the adult ed arm of William & Mary) and the adult ed wing of Christopher Newport University.