Wilhelm Heinrich (also called William Henry) Prestele was born in Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany, to Franz Joseph Martin and Karoline Russ Prestele on 13 October 1838. His father was an accomplished painter and lithographer who had worked as head gardener to King Ludwig I of Bavaria prior to studying art at the University of Vienna.



In 1843 the family immigrated to the United States with the Community of True Inspiration (later the Amana Society) settling first in Ebenezer, New York, and in 1858 they moved with the Society to the Amana Colonies in Iowa.



W. H. Prestele served as a private in the 26th New York Infantry during the Civil War. He followed his father's trade as a lithographer, and worked in New York prior to taking a position as an illustrator (1867-1871) for the Bloomington (Illinois) Nursery owned by Franklin Kelsey Phoenix. He later went into business with L. B. Littlefield in Bloomington as publishers of fruit and flower prints (1871-1875). In 1875 he set up his own business as a lithographer in Iowa City, Iowa (1875-1887). He was later hired as the first artist on the staff of the Pomological Division of the United States Department of Agriculture (1887-1895).



W. H. Prestele died 16 August 1895 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.