Born in Woodruff, Arizona, he was a painter of western scenes.

He was one of 15 children in a Mormon family that operated a trading post along the Little Colorado River and was named Raphael for the famous artist. He was educated in Mormon schools and graduated from the University of Utah. He also studied with Gonzales and Ed Tigera in Sonora, Mexico.

After marriage in 1924, he settled near Walden, Colorado, where he painted scenes of ranch life and the Old West, an interest that began with his early exposure to pack trains and Indians. From 1940 to 1942, he also painted thirteen habitat backgrounds of bird and mammal groups, and in 1943, he moved to Laramie, Wyoming.

Source:
Peggy and Harold Samuels, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Artists of the American West

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. Here 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 where he continued the remainder of his painting career.