browning attended london's slade school of art on a full scholarship from 1937 to 1939. in 1942, she worked as a mapmaker for the royal air force during world war ii. browning later worked as a set designer in london for the two cities film studios, which was later to become the j. arthur rank film corporation. in 1948 browning met the english writer geoffrey wagner while on vacation on the island of ischia. they quickly decided to marry in america, where wagner had been hired to teach at the university of rochester.