 Kupelwieser was born in Vienna, the son of Johann Kupelwieser (1760–1813), a tinware manufacturer with factories in Markt Piesting, Guntramsdorf and Vienna.From 1801 to 1802, Joseph attended the Akademisches Gymnasium and the Erziehungsinstitut (a boarding school) operated by Gaetano Giannatasio del Rio (1764–1828).He also studied briefly at the K.k.