[3] Keith's work consists of prints depicting Asian life and culture,[4] a fascination she acquired when she travelled to Tokyo at the age of 28 and remained there for nine years.

In her first year in Japan, she had a small exhibition with caricatures of foreign residents in Tokyo, which she published as a book benefiting the Red Cross entitled Grin and Bear It.

She learned the methods of traditional Japanese woodblock printing, emulating the work of Katsushika Hokusai, Ando Hiroshige, and Kitagawa Utamaro.

"[7] In 1924 Keith returned to Britain where she started to learn colour etching techniques, and in 1925 began to print her own works, using an initial seal "in the oriental manner" to sign them.

[1][5][8] During World War II, Keith raised money to assist Chinese women affected by Japan's military violence, though she apparently "retained warm feelings for her many Japanese friends.

During her lifetime some of her works were acquired by the British Museum, the Musée Guimet in Paris, the National Gallery of Canada, and the Honolulu Academy of Arts.