She was curator of the Department of European Paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

[6][7] A colleague wrote in 1986 that, "In all of her work, whether spoken or written, Margaretta Salinger strove to express her perceptive ideas with precision and grace.

"[8] She frequently contributed essays to the Bulletin of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

[9][10] Salinger died in 1985, at the age of 77, in New Britain, Connecticut.

[6] There is a collection of her papers in the Metropolitan Museum of Art archives.