Mary Lincoln

Raised in a wealthy Kentucky slave-owning family, Mary Ann Todd Lincoln actively voiced her political opinions throughout her life. But as a woman, she could not pursue office herself. These stifled ambitions may have led to her marital alliance with Abraham Lincoln, who benefitted from the social polishing that her elite background offered him. Her focus on class position is seen in the many carte-de-visite photographs of her in fashionable costumes.