Background
Prater was born in Islington in London, of Cornish descent.
Prater was born in Islington in London, of Cornish descent.
He began his working life as a publisher"s clerk and took up drawing. He served for a period with the 3rd Middlesex Artillery. He became a Boer War correspondent for The Sphere, sending back illustrations from the battlefield.
He also worked for the Black & White Budget and The Graphic newspapers.
As well as being an illustrator, he was an adept photographer. He contributed illustrations to the Strand Magazine, Pall Mall Gazette and Boy"s Own Paper and for books published by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, the Religious Tract Society, Carey Press, Sheldon Press and others
Prater specialised in illustrating boys" adventure stories. Among the well-known authors whose works he illustrated were Georgia Henty, Royal Marines Ballantyne, West.H.G. Kingston, Percy F. Westerman, Frank T. Bullen, Tom Bevan, Herbert Hayens and Bessie Marchant.
He was noted for his painting The Last Pass: A Thrilling Moment in a Rugby Match".
He also collaborated with Sidney Paget, the illustrator for the Sherlock Holmes books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. One such drawing was the funeral for Queen Victoria (location unknown). In 1911 he was living at Newquay, The Leas, Westcliff in the parish of Prittlewell.