Early 20th Century Miniature Etching, Portrait of an Old Woman by Ralph Sweet

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Early 20th Century Miniature Etching, Portrait of an Old Woman by Ralph Sweet

Compelling early 20th century small-scale figurative etching … Read more Early 20th Century Miniature Etching, Portrait of an Old Woman by Ralph Sweet

Compelling early 20th century small-scale figurative etching of an old woman by California artist Ralph Sweet (American, 1892-1961). In this simple yet striking miniature portrait, and old woman is shown in profile, her head covered by a scarf.

Signed "Ralph Sweet" lower right in pencil.
Displayed in an antique black painted wood frame with new mat.
Image size: 3.5"H x 2.5"W.
Provenance: Ralph Sweet as a gift to Mary Pick the Silent Screen Actress, to Bess to her assistant and companion (Elizabeth Huggins), Estate of Elizabeth Huggins, Robert Azensky Fine Art.


Born in Rochester, MN in January 1892. Sweet went to the University of Minnesota. In his leisure he painted landscapes and coastal scenes in watercolor; his etchings were done before 1932. Member: Ass'n of Medical Illustrators (pres.); SFAA; SWA. Exh: Kingsley Art Club (Sacramento), 1930-32; SF Artists' Cooperative, 1961 (solo).
Ralph Sweet was born in Rochester, Minnesota, in 1892, a neighbor to the Mayo brothers, who identified Ralph’s talents early on and who would invite him to the operating room to watch surgical procedures. After a two-year stint at a local art program, the Mayos directed Ralph to Max Brödel at Johns Hopkins, where he flourished, and graduated in 1915. After several years working with the Mayos back in Rochester, Ralph moved to California in 1917, where he was engaged as a medical illustrator, working with the University of California anatomy department, first at the Berkeley campus and then later at the UC San Francisco School of Medicine. He had always taken on private students while at UC, but in 1952 an official course in medical illustration was established there, and Ralph Sweet was appointed professor.

Ralph Sweet was an exacting teacher, and insisted on the highest level of scholarship. According to Laurel Schaubert, class of 1955, he told her “I will insist on the very best you have to give—and don’t expect to get rich!” Laurel goes on to say: “Giving the very best he had was a way of life to Ralph Sweet. He never compromised in the struggle toward excellence and expected equal drive from those who worked with him. Yet, in demanding perfection of himself and his staff, he never withheld his generous help and encouragement when lesser talents tried but faltered.”

When the time came to organize the Association of Medical Illustrators, Ralph Sweet was appointed as a member of the Nucleus Five, representing the Western States. He was in attendance at the first AMI conference in 1945 and went on to serve two terms as AMI President, 1948 – 50. See less