Wilhelm Hester was born in October, 1872 in central Hamburg. With his brother Ernst, he came to the United States in 1890, and from 1890 -1893 they lived in Montana. In the fall of 1893 they arrived in Seattle and began a practice of photography. In 1898, Wilhelm went to Alaska for a year during the Klondike gold rush, then returned to Seattle. He was an important photographic chronicler of shipping in Puget Sound in the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his pictures of ships, seamen, and cargo operations. He appears to have given up photography in 1905 or 1906. Thereafter he speculated successfully in real estate and had a fine house on Queen Anne's Hill in Seattle. He died on February 25th, 1947. The SFNMHP has numerous references and reproductions of his work.
From the description of Wilhelm Hester photographic envelopes, 1890-1899. (San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park Library). WorldCat record id: 586163357
