Battenberg began taking private painting instruction from Ottilie W. Roederstein at the Städel in 1895. Roederstein would become an important mentor and friend. With her support, Battenberg received a scholarship to study at the Académie Colarossi in Paris. From 1907 onwards, following a lengthy stay in Berlin, she was active in Frankfurt as a freelance portraitist and taught in her private studio at the Städel. Battenberg’s works were regularly on view in important exhibitions in Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin, Paris, and elsewhere.