Konstantin-Hansen was born in the Frederiksberg district of Copenhagen on 4 May 1858.
She was the daughter of the Golden Age painter Carl Christian Constantin Hansen and his wife Magdelene Barbara Købke.
She changed the spelling of her name to Konstantin-Hansen in 1908.

She grew up in an artistic milieu.
Several of her eight siblings were artistically talented, especially her sister Kristiane who became an embroiderer.
Konstantin-Hansen herself also began embroidering while young, often developing her own designs.
Later, after her father died in 1880, she became Thorvald Bindesbøll's principal assistant.

In addition to being introduced to painting by her father, she attemded Vilhelm Kyhn's painting school and was instructed by Christen Dalsgaard and Laurits Tuxen before studying in Paris in 1886.
Konstantin-Hansen was born in the Frederiksberg district of Copenhagen on 4 May 1858. She was the daughter of the Golden Age painter Carl Christian Constantin Hansen and his wife Magdelene Barbara Købke. She changed the spelling of her name to Konstantin-Hansen in 1908.
She grew up in an artistic milieu. Several of her eight siblings were artistically talented, especially her sister Kristiane who became an embroiderer. Konstantin-Hansen herself also began embroidering while young, often developing her own designs. Later, after her father died in 1880, she became Thorvald Bindesbøll's principal assistant.
In addition to being introduced to painting by her father, she attemded Vilhelm Kyhn's painting school and was instructed by Christen Dalsgaard and Laurits Tuxen before studying in Paris in 1886.
Elise Konstantin-Hansen