 Holmes studied art at the Bloomsbury School of Art, now the Royal College of Art, one of the Kensington Museum's schools.She won the Queen's prize at the end of her first year, which granted her £60 annually for three years and an additional £10 directly from Queen Victoria's personal budget "in token of high approval" of her work.After studying in London for a year, she decided to continue her studies in Italy, thereby forfeiting the prize.