Born in Canada, Elizabeth Adela Armstrong Forbes (née Amstrong, 1859-1912)) studied in New York, Munich, Zandevoort, and Brittany before settling in London in 1883.
There she joined the Society of Painter-Etchers and produced more than forty drypoints over six years.
After marrying fellow artist Stanhope Forbes in 1889, she moved to Cornwall and focused on painting, since she could no longer rely on the services of an expert printer.