Her mother, a schoolteacher, held Bible classes in the home while her father was active as a trade union lawyer and as an advisor to political leaders including Prime Minister Thorvald Stauning.
After teaching for a number of years, she took painting lessons under Erik Clemmensen (1905–1984) before being admitted to the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 1945.
[1][2] Poulsen's favourite subjects were country scenes and animals, often with cows in hilly landscapes, painted with light brushstrokes in dark earthy tones.
In 1963, she started to spend lengthy periods on the island of Møn, developing friendships with the painter Anne Marie Telmányi, the composer Ove Scavenius (1884–1973) and the celebrated actress Asta Nielsen whose portrait she painted in 1981.
For 38 years, she headed the Society of Female Artists where she fought tirelessly for ensuring women had the same visibility and rights as their male counterparts.