Elisabeth Keyser grew up in a well-to-do and cultured family and studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts alongside, among others, Julia Beck. She later moved to Paris, where she studied under Léon Bonnat and Gustave Courtois, and exhibited regularly at the Paris Salon during the 1880s. At the World's Fair in 1889, she became the first Swedish woman to receive an honourable mention for a portrait of her mother.

After returning to Sweden in 1890, Keyser ran a painting school in Stockholm and during the summer in Arild in Skåne, where several Nordic artists gathered. She became particularly successful as a portrait painter and was commissioned by society in both Stockholm and Paris. Her works are characterised by soft colour tones and skillful handling of light, often executed in pastel and oil.

By the end of the 1890s, Keyser was at the height of her career, achieving success even in St. Petersburg. However, she passed away at the age of 47, in the midst of plans to return to Russia. Keyser is now regarded as a Swedish Impressionist and is represented in several Swedish museums.