Elena Petrovna was born on February 10 (22), 1862, in St. Petersburg. Her father, Pyotr Petrovich Benar, was a military engineer with the rank of colonel. Her grandfather, Jean-Georges Benar, was a Huguenot and served in Russia as a senior officer.

Elena graduated from the Pavlov Institute, then studied for two years at an art school in Helsingfors and took private lessons from V. P. Vereshchagin. In 1883, she married the academic painter R. G. Sudkovsky, but two years later he died of typhus. They had a daughter, Margarita. In 1885, Elena moved to Paris, where she studied at the private academy of J. Bastian-Lepage. In 1889, she married the artist N. S. Samokish and adopted the double surname Samokish-Sudkovskaya.

In the early 1900s, Elena actively worked in the field of book illustration and poster art. She created illustrations for the magazine 'Niva,' designing Christmas and Easter issues, as well as calendars. Her works were published in various illustrated editions, such as 'Awakening.' She was involved in creating posters, flyers, theater programs, and advertising materials.

Elena illustrated books, including children's ones, and was a member of the First Ladies' Art Circle. Her works were exhibited alongside those of famous Russian artists such as Vereshchagin, Shishkin, and Repin. In 1896, she received the Highest Award for her drawings for the 'Coronation Collection.'

Although Elena painted portraits and genre scenes, she is better known as a book illustrator. Her illustrations for Pushkin's works, particularly for 'Eugene Onegin,' were criticized for being overly beautiful. Her works for the fairy tale 'The Humpbacked Horse' by Yershov are also well-known.

Elena and her husband collaborated on an illustrated edition of Gogol's 'Dead Souls.' In one of the halls of the Vitebsk railway station, built in the early 20th century, the walls are adorned with their panels dedicated to the history of the Tsarskoye Selo railway.

Elena Petrovna was fond of Art Nouveau and often used ornamental borders, vignettes, and garlands in her works. Her works were published in capital city magazines and on postcards from the St. Eugenia community publishing house.

After the October Revolution, Elena separated from her husband, who supported the revolution, and emigrated. She lived in Paris for some time, where she passed away. According to other sources, she died in Vyborg in 1924.