Born in Buffalo, New York, Asa Cheffetz had a studio in Springfield, Massachusetts. He became noted for his superior engraving skills, exhibited his engravings at the National Academy, where he was a member, and designed the official bookplate for the Library of Congress. He was also an illustrator, with one of his publications being "An Almanac for Moderns". Asa Cheffetz trained at the Boston Museum School and the National Academy of Design with Philip Hale, Ivan Olitsky and William Auerbach-Levy.

Exhibition venues included the Royal Academy in London, the Pennsylvania Academy, and the Art Institute of Chicago.