Raphael Lillywhite was born in Woodruff Arizona in 1891. He was raised as one of fifteen children by parents who operated a trading post. Lillywhite studied art with Gonzáles and Ed Tigera in Sonora, Mexico.

After his studies Lillywhite and his wife moved to Walden, Colorado. There he found much of his inspiration for his ranch life and Western subject matter. From 1940-1942 he painted thirteen habitat backgrounds of bird and mammal groups for the Colorado Museum of Natural History. In 1943 he moved to Laramie, Wyoming.

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