Presidents and First Ladies

An intimate glimpse into the lives of the first families of the United States, Presidents and First Ladies is an exciting and insightful new series that highlights the personal histories of select presidents and first ladies as well as the historical events that shaped their terms in office. Documentary photography, illustrations, and maps combine with compelling text and excerpts from letters and other primary sources to reveal how key personal, political, and historical events affected each leader and their spouse, and consequently the climate of the entire nation.

Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln are one of the most memorable and, in some ways, controversial couples in American history. Mary Todd, though, has been judged more harshly. Though pitied as the wife of a slain president, she has also been criticized as a nagging wife, an extravagant first lady, and even, at the end of her life, a crazy widow.

Yet Mary was not as flawed, and Lincoln was not as saintly, as legend would have it seem. They were both imperfect human beings challenged by extraordinary circumstances: the death of children, the disintegration of their country, and the threat of assassination. Through it all, they remained in love and committed to each other.