Marjorie Tietjens was born February 26, 1895, in New Rochelle, New York. She grew up in Europe because her father was the European agent for an American typewriter company. She studied at the Royal Drawing Society of London from the ages of twelve through twenty, finishing in 1915. She won many awards there, and worked as an examiner. After World War I, when she was a nurse in the British Army, Tietjens studied at the Chateau Brillantmont in Switzerland. She later spent four years at the British Academy in Rome.

The year 1927 was a big one for the artistin New York City, she executed a commission for twenty-two city scenes and portraits of children; returned to Rome, completing her studies at the Academy; and married Paul Tietjens, c...