Biriukova was born in 1897 in
Russia. Her father was Dmitry Biriukoff (1864
Russian Empire–1928
Rome, Italy), Russian nobleman, who was the chief civil engineer on the
Trans-Siberian Railway. Her mother Julia Biriukova (1867 Russian Empire–1925 Rome, Italy), maiden name Glass, was raised in the family of State Councillor Wladyslaw
Wojciechowski (
Vladislav Voicehovsky) in
Sankt-Petersburg. She with her parents and sister Alexandra fled Russia, refugees of the
Russian Revolution. Her family first went to Hong Kong in 1920, then Rome in 1922, settling in Canada in 1929. When the sisters arrived in Toronto they were befriended by members of the Canadian artists the
Group of Seven. Biriukova created portraits of two member of the Group of Seven;
A. Y. Jackson (1882–1974), and
J. E. H. MacDonald (1873–1932). ==References==