Johann Wilhelm Preyer: Life and Legacy Early Life and Education Born in Düsseldorf, Germany, in 1803, Johann Wilhelm Preyer emerged from a family with artistic inclinations. His father was a merchant, and his brother, Gustav, also pursued a career as a painter. Growing up in the old town of Eschweiler, Preyer displayed an early aptitude for art. A playful anecdote recounts how he and his brother, both small in stature, would occa…