Emilie Charmy was born on April 2^nd, 1878 in Saint-Etienne (France), and passed away in Paris in 1974. Orphaned at the age of 5, her older brother Jean becomes her guardian. Charmy was interested in music and painting,  for which she showed much talent.  Her brother, conscious of this gift, encouraged her to continue. At the turn of the century, Emilie and Jean moved to Lyon, where she makes the acquaintance of Jacques Martin and becomes his student. A few years later, Charmy and her brother leave Lyon for Saint-Cloud. During this period, she participated in various shows, such as the "Salon des Independents" in 1903, 1904 and 1905, and the "Salon d'Automne" in 1906. Berthe Weill quickly appreciated Charmy's work and exhibited it very early on.


Around 1909, Charmy settled into two artist studios at 54, rue de Bourgogne in Paris, moving there permanently in 1910 and remaining there for the rest of her life. In 1912, her first major solo exhibition was held at the Galerie Druet. The same year, she met the painter George Bouche, whom she ends up marrying nearly 20 years later; they have a son, Edmond, in 1915. A second exhibition of her work is held in 1919 in the Galerie André Pesson, a gallery founded by several artists. The exhibition catalog is prefaced by Enrique Gomez Carillo. Also in 1919, Charmy makes the acquaintance of the Count Etienne de Jouvencel, who becomes a patron of her work and shares his enthusiasm for her painting within the literary and artistic circles of the time. He furthermore organized several high profile exhibitions of her work in the Parisian art world.


"Canvas", a major solo exhibition of Charmy's work, was held at the Galerie Œuvres d’Art, rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré, in 1921, with catalog texts written by Louis Leon Martin, Henri Béraud, Roland Dorgelès and Pierre Mac Orlan. Around 1922, Charmy met Colette, whom she befriends. Colette, at that time at the height of her popularity, wrote the introductory text for the catalog of a major exhibition of twenty pictures by Charmy, held in 1922. The same year, Charmy participated in another major exhibition at the Styles Gallery, on the theme of the "Female Nude", which included paintings by Ingres, Delacroix, Corot, Manet, Renoir, Rouault and Matisse, and a catalog prefaced by Louis Vauxcelles. Both the French and the foreign press praised Charmy's work. In 1926, another major solo exhibition was held at the Galerie Barbazanges. Thanks in part to Eli-Joseph Bois, Director of the Petit Parisien newspaper, Charmy was awarded the Legion of Honor. Bois also introduced her to several political figures, including Edouard Daladier, Aristide Briand and Louise Weiss, with whom she became close. After the war, Charmy exhibited very little, and when she did it was usually at the Galerie Jeanne Castel, spending her last decades in solitude, concentrated on her work but forgotten by critics and the public.