The Bloomington Nursery was owned and operated by Franklin Kelsey Phoenix. In 1867, it was known as the largest nursery west of the Appalachians and the second largest in the nation. Mr. Phoenix hired William Henry Prestele (and later, his brother, Joseph, Jr.) to create the vividly colored and detailed lithographs used by the nursery's traveling sales agents to market new varieties of fruit, trees, shrubs and flowers. These practical, yet elegant, works of art contributed greatly to the success of the local nursery and helped alter the face of the prairie landscape.