Born in Queensland, Frances Vida Lahey studied painting at the Brisbane Technical College and continued on at Melbourne’s National Gallery School (1905–09) with Bernard Hall. Travelling to Europe in 1915, participating in the war effort Lahey later studied in Paris at the Académie Colarossi 1919. Upon returning to Australia, Lahey lived in Tasmania for almost 2 years, which was in stark contrast to her experiences of the war. The period was restorative and productive and she returned to Tasmania many times. Influence of French Impressionists can be seen in this work, where exploration of the effect of lighting and colour are evident.
As a passionate supporter of the arts, with an established art career, Lahey formed the Queensland Art Fund together with close friend and sculptor Daphne Mayo, raising funds for the Queensland Art Gallery in order to assist with the acquisition of artworks. As a member art of societies and committees noting the Arts Advisory Committee, Queensland Art Gallery, she went on to receive an MBE in 1958 for services to art and in the same year won the NSW Society of Arts medal. In further recognition of Lahey’s work, Australian stamps adorned her artworks with, Beach Umbrellas in 1996 and Fruit and Flowers from the National Gallery of Victoria’s still life collection 2011. Frances Vida Lahey is widely represented in national and regional institution collections.