Her father and uncle were the owners of the trading house G. Halkier & Co.[2] She received a good education for a woman at the time and married Nicolas Urban Gad, a rear admiral, in 1872.

She was a member of many trade unions and women's societies in Copenhagen,[3] and her home was an important meeting place for intellectuals in Denmark at the turn of the century.

[4] In 1905, Gad and the Danish Handicraft Association organized a "Colony Exhibition" at Tivoli Gardens, with Princess Louise as patron and Moses Melchior as president.

Due to being unable to persuade any adults to undertake the voyage, a decision was made to bring Black children to Denmark for the exhibit.

[5] Gad's book Etiquette - About Dealing with People (Danish: Takt og Tone - Om Omgang med Mennesker) was published in 1918.