 The daughter of David Lincoln Povey and Hanna Povey, Lilian Myrtle "Polly" Povey was born December 27, 1904, in Portland, Oregon.Her father was a founder of the Povey Brothers Glass Company, and she worked in the studio there before attending the University of Oregon from 1927–1929.In 1928, she worked at the Portland architecture firm of DeYoung and Roald.