The painter of seascapes and plein air painter, Louise Bonfils, was educated at Tegne- og Kunstindustriskolen for Kvinder (The School of Drawing and Art Industry for Women), under Wenzel Tornøe (1844–1907) and Hans Fischer (1849–1886), and at Kunstnernes Frie Studieskoler (The Free School of Study for Artists) under the plein air painters Laurits Tuxen (1853–1927) and P.S. Krøyer (1851–1909). She exhibited regularly at Charlottenborg, but not until 9 years after her debut in 1881, was she able to inscribe herself as a painter of seascapes at Kunstakademiets Kunstskole for Kvinder (The Royal Art Academy for Women) in 1890. Bonfils received several travel grants, including the largest travel grant from the Academy and support for a trip to Norway from the Ministry of Culture.

Bonfils went on a study tour from 1884 to 1885 in Southern Germany and Italy and later undertook several shorter travels to Paris, Dresden, The Netherlands, Belgium and Norway. The painting of seascapes and landscapes influenced by the plein air tradition preoccupied Bonfils through out her career, and as a female painter of seascapes she occupied a unique position in the Danish art world at the time.