The last portrait of Goethe that was painted during his lifetime has an amusing background. In December 1831, the court engraver Carl August Schwerdgeburth asked Goethe to be his model. Goethe gently declined:

“I have sat for artists so often, they have martyred and tortured me with it, and of the many pictures circulating in the world, very few are to my credit. It has made me dispirited, and I have made it a rule never to allow myself to be subjected to it again.”

During this conversation, Schwerdgeburth observed him closely. At home, he immediately drew Goethe's head from memory. He gave the drawing to his daughter-in-law, Ottilie, on the same day for comparison, hoping for her approval.

A few days later, Goethe called him in, welcomed Schwerdgeburth with the drawing in his hand, and patted him on the shoulder:

“You did the right thing by hiding behind the women. [...] I will sit for you as often as you wish. Now all you have to change is the serious expression around your mouth.”

In January 1832, Schwerdgeburth presented the final artwork. Goethe wished to “introduce the world to this copperplate engraving [...]. Get to work quickly.” On March 6, more agreements were made; a brush drawing was created as a template. Unfortunately, the copperplate engraving "Goethe nach dem Leben gezeichnet" [18] was only completed after his death.