Florence MacKenzie studied art at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the National School of Fine and Applied Arts, and the Philadelphia School of Design for Women. She maintained studios in both Washington and San Francisco.

In Washington, she was the head artist fo the Bureau of Exhibits and the U.S. Forestry Service from 1917 - 1942. She was a member of the Washington Art Club, the Society for Sanity in Art, and the Society of Western Artists. Her works have been exhibited at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, the Society for Sanity in Art, and the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. Sources: Artists in California 1786 - 1940, Edan Milton Hughes, 3d ed.