Born in at Odessa in Russia (now Ukraine) on 20 March 1890, Marinoff was the youngest of 13 children. She came to the United States as a young child with her elder brother Louis, whom she lived with until she joined a traveling play company around the age of fourteen. She played supporting and lead roles in dozens of Broadway plays between 1903 and 1937, and eight U.S. silent movies between 1914 and 1917.

In 1914 she married Carl Van Vechten, whom she had met two years earlier. Their marriage lasted over 50 years, even though Van Vechten was openly homosexual.

She died at Englewood in New Jersey on 17 November 1971

Photographed by Carl Van Vechten.

The photographer is identified by his blue wetstamp on the reverse of the print. A pencilled inscription identifies the sitter and the date, 18 January 1933, is given in red ink.

The print, which is unmounted and has no borders, measures 13.9” by 10.9” (354 mm by 277 mm).