She was a pupil of her father, Jean-Jacques Petit, and of Joseph Blanc.

She painted a notable self-portrait in 1870, when she was 18 years old and first exhibited in 1876, and then on a regular basis at the Salon, which became the Salon des Artistes Français in 1881, and between 1886 and 1906 at the art exhibitions of the Union des Femmes Peintres et Sculpteurs.

Marie Adrien Lavieille was a painter with a particular gift for portraits and still lifes.

However, her work is very diversified, and reflects many of the themes of the society of her time.

As well as still lifes, she realized interiors, some landscapes, scenes of quotidian life, particularly with children : L'anniversaire, Sortie de classe, Maternité, Prière pour l'absent… Since 1879, Marie Adrien Lavieille taught drawing in schools in Paris.