[2] Her family were Quakers, with her father Anthony Pim Jacob running a temperance hotel at 88 Thomas Street.
Jacob went on to attend the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art (DMSA), and was awarded the Gilchrist Trust Scholarship in 1882 and a free studentship in 1888.
Jacob designed and painted a set of Belleek porcelain for Dr Perceval Wright, the Professor of Botany at Trinity College Dublin.
Much of this work drew on her botanical studies, with elements incorporated into designs for lace, floral damask, embroidery, crochet, and painted silk.
She was a frequent prizewinner in London, and was part of the movement to elevate the position of crafts in the art world.