Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker

Analyze Elizabeth’s relationship with Mrs. Lincoln in comparison to her other friendships. What qualities are essential in a successful friendship and why? In what ways is Mrs. Lincoln and Elizabeth’s friendship lacking? How is their friendship unique from most other relationships?

Explore how religion and spirituality impact the characters’ lives. How do Elizabeth and Mr. Lincoln use religion to guide their actions? How does Mrs. Lincoln’s spirituality affect her life? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

Elizabeth believes her legacy lies in the sewing skills she taught her students and young apprentices, not in her time working for Mrs. Lincoln. What is Mrs. Lincoln’s legacy?

From her job and friendship with Mrs. Lincoln, Elizabeth is afforded a more intimate view of the first family. What judgments does she place on Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln? Imagine the novel written from Mrs. Lincoln’s perspective. What judgments would she put on Elizabeth?

Elizabeth visits the plantation where she was enslaved, enjoying the company of her former controllers and wishing to see them again before the end of her life. Where does Elizabeth find the capacity to forgive the people who treated her so horribly?

What does education represent to Elizabeth? She confronts her enslavers about withholding an education from Elizabeth and insists George attend college. What does Elizabeth value about education? Include textual evidence in your response.

Why does Elizabeth never choose to marry again? What limitations must married women, even those of the upper class, adhere to? In what ways is Elizabeth freer than Mrs. Lincoln and the other politicians’ wives?

Although fiction, Chiaverini grounds her characters, plot, and setting in historical fact. How does Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker influence how you envision Washington D.C. during the mid-19th century? In what ways does the text broaden your understanding of the Civil War and the decisions made by key players at that time?