Burgess was born and grew up in the Walthamstow area of London, where her father was a florist and gardener and her mother was a dressmaker.
[2] After graduation, Burgess remained working in London until she moved to Bristol in the 1950s and later lived in Scotland for a time.
[1] As an artist she created watercolour and tempura paintings of flowers and gardens, child portraits and miniatures.
[1] Between 1900 and 1951, Burgess was a regular exhibitor at both the Royal Academy and with the Society of Women Artists, showing a total of 45 works with the latter.
[3] Internationally, works by Burgess were shown at the Paris Salon and in the United States, Canada and Australia.