R.J. Cavaliere graduated from the Philadelphia Museum School of Art in the late 1920s. He illustrated for several magazines and newspapers, including The Saturday Evening Post, Ladies’ Home Journal and Redbook.

In an interview with Philly.com, Cavaliere’s son, Dan, recalled that he would drive his father to Philadelphia so he could observe settings for his paintings in person. “One time he was painting the art museum, and because the street and traffic were in his way, he tied a rope around his waist and around a tree, adjusting himself to get the right view. He’d be down there painting or sketching the whole time. I’d get him four hours later.”

After his commercial career, Cavaliere turned to landscape painting.