Elsie Marian Henderson, later Baroness de Coudenhove, studied at the South Kensington Schools (which later became the Royal College of Art) before studying at the Slade School of Fine Art (1903-1905). She continued her art education in Paris, between 1908 and 1912, attending the Académie Moderne, the Académie Colarossi and at Cercle Russe. In 1912 Henderson studied with Othon Friesz (1879-1949) before spending 1913 in Italy and then enrolled at the Chelsea Polytechnic, London (now Chelsea College of Arts) in 1916. She became a frequent visitor to the London Zoo and animal drawings and paintings became a major theme of her work.