She was the daughter of the Antwerp senator Jean Félix Van den Bergh who ran the “La Cloche” brewery with his brother Maximilien.

[1] Henriette married the Cologne businessman Emil Mayer in 1857, who had moved to Antwerp to open a franchise for his family's pharmacy and spice business.

[1] The Mayer-Van den Berghs purchased the 'Hof van Arenberg' on the corner of Lange Gasthuisstraat and Arenbergstraat in 1861 and renovated it to suit their taste.

During the years her husband was alive, Henriette was probably already active as a collector, as the archives of her museum have provenance notes by her son Fritz indicating "Maman" for works purchased by her.

In 1892, mother and son sold a large part of their collection, presumably to enable Fritz to make serious acquisitions with an eye for founding a museum.