Marguerite Kirmse was born in Bournemouth, England. She was a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music trained as a harpist. She emigrated to the States when she was offered a position there with an orchestra.

It was in America that she applied her visual talents and created work in pencil, pastel, oil and cast bronze. Her love of dogs lead her to becoming an established canine artist. Kirmse became known internationally while she was represented by the Harwood Galleries in New York. She created two collections of prints a year containing five or six images — one in the fall and the other in spring. Much loved and admired, Kirmse illustrated many books including Rudyard Kipling’s Collected Dog Stories. Derrydale Press released several limited edition portfolios of her work and Wedgwood produced a number of plates bearing reproductions of her work.