She was born into a circus family, Ménagerie Van Been, and married into another circus family. She and her husband were married in a cage of lions, and spent their honeymoon with the Wild West Show founded by Buffalo Bill Cody. Their circus moved into the Cirque d'Hiver (Winter Circus), the 1,500-person venue in the Marais district of Paris, and it remained their base while they toured around the world.