was born in 1887, the youngest child of a concert pianist. By age 14, she was already studying art at the Art Students' League and attending both the renowned Brearly Finishing School and the Women's School for Applied Design. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum (of Mt. Rushmore fame) encouraged her to submit work for the National Academy exhibition. In 1910, Hoffman went to Paris to study sculpting with Auguste Rodin, working with him until the onset of World War I. Shortly after returning to the USA, Hoffman met Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. They became friends, and Hoffman was often invited to rehearsals where she would use the ballerina and her colleagues as models for her sculptures. By the 1920's Hoffman was enjoying a successful career and a new marriage. In 1929, she received a commission by Chicago's Marshall Field Museum to portray "the races of mankind" for the 1933 World's Fair. Throughout her life, Hoffman continued to create portrait sculpture of friends, celebrities, and historical figures until her death in 1966.

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