In 1893, having initially studied painting in the women’s studio of the Städelschule, Schmidt became the first female pupil to be officially admitted to the master studio for sculpture there. In 1898 she travelled to Paris for study purposes and worked for the renowned sculptor Denys Puech at the Académie Julian. She participated in numerous exhibitions in Berlin, Ghent, Munich, Paris, and elsewhere. Her appointment as head of the Städelschule’s “master studio for women in sculpture” in 1912 made her the first woman on the school’s teaching staff.
