Born in 1897, Samuel Margolies studied at Cooper Union Art School and the National Academy of Design. During the 1930s he was involved in the Queensboro Society of Allied Arts and Crafts and he was also a member of the Society of American Etchers. From 1935 until 1939 Margolies participated in the Works Progress Administration easel-painting program as a printmaker. He left the WPA in 1939 to work for the Bundy Corporation as a circuit designer. Margolies taught courses in etching during the 1950s.