Selma Des Coudres

[1] She enrolled in the private painting school operated by the Baltic German painter, Elise Jung-Stilling.

Her first work was as an illustrator; providing drawings in the Art Nouveau style for Kiefern im Schnee (Pines in the Snow), a collection of poetry and fairy tales.

[2] In 1909, she received a scholarship from the City of Riga: established by Georg Wilhelm Timm to help young artists.

[3] Back in Munich, she made lifelong friends with Joachim Ringelnatz, who called her a "very gifted, poor painter".

[3] At that time, she began to concentrate on portraits and floral still-lifes; catering to provincial tastes in order to make a living.