Frances Vida Lahey was born on 26 August 1882 at Pimpama, Queensland. She was the daughter of David Lahey, an Irish-born farmer and timber-miller, and mother, Jane Jemima Lahey (nee Walmsley). She was the eldest of 12 children. She learned painting from Godfrey Rivers at Brisbane Technical College, then studied at the National Gallery School in Melbourne in 1905 to 1906. In 1909 she studied painting with Frederick McCubbin and Bernard Hall. With the outbreak of World War One, Vida abandoned her artistic pursuits and established a home base in London for her brothers and cousins who had enlisted. After the war she traveled Europe, returning to Australia in 1920. She taught art for many years in Brisbane. Together with Daphne Mayo they co-founded, in 1929, the Queensland Art Fund and they were involved in raising funds for the acquisition of works for the Queensland Art Gallery. In recognition for her services to art, Vida received a M.B.E. (Member of the British Empire) in 1958. She passed away on 29 August 1968.

She is considered one of Australia's best known and respected women artists, renowned both for her artistic production and her activities as an art educator and advocate. 'Monday Morning', a large oil painting of Lahey's sister and a friend scrubbing clothes at the family washtub launched she professional career and is her most persistent claim to fame.