~Story Behind The Photo Of Joseph Smith~

Having retired at the very young age of 49, I decided to pursue my dream of assembling a Pioneer Wagon hall of fame, which would capture the spirit and essence of the Mormon legacy. Because the pioneers had a wagon for every pursuit of interest, I have put together different wagon settings to demonstrate the vital movements of the past. It will display the ingenuity, integrity and sacrifice of the early Saints.

Examples in my collection include wagons that were used for camping. Each wagon had a different function, such as a sheep camp wagon for herding sheep, a chuck wagon for branding the cattle, the homestead wagon, typically used on the plains for moving belongings, and then a special small Mormon wagon and handcart to facilitate carrying cargo and passengers and capable of maneuvering through the Rocky Mountains, a survey wagon for exploring, and the well-known Conestoga wagon used on the Oregon Trail and many, many others, including those with the white canvas tops known as the legendary Prairie Schooners of the West.

As I have collected authentic items to place in the wagons, many times I would feel a need for a particular object to be included to make that setting complete. For some unusual reason I seem to come across the desired item within a relatively short period of time. This has happened to me repeatedly throughout my life. I have come to realize that I have been blessed with a special gift of discovering the real necessities of my dream. This was even more evident when I put together my 100 years of scouting collection including the uniforms of the boer war in Africa, where the first boyscout was given a uniform and where Frederick Burnham was asked by Queen Victoria to be the chief of scouts, Baden Powell being in his troop showing that scouting has American roots in its history. I was able to collect all professional uniforms, winter uniforms, and summer uniforms from 1898 - 2005.

One day while working at one of these wagon settings, I was pondering my grandparent's heirlooms and concentrating on the pictures among my grandfather's Mormon books. I had collected pictures of these God-fearing people along with a picture of the Savior. Feeling inspired by these photos and my knowledge of these people, I said out loud,"This Mormon setting is just not complete without an old picture of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young."

Because so much Mormon memorabilia surfaces at the Deseret Industries, I go there on a regular basis. That same day I went to the old Deseret Industries in American Fork, Utah and there I encountered a group of people examining an old tinted photograph of two individuals. The picture was of an unusual shape, that of an octagon, and was very large. I even held it in my hands and pondered it for a while.

No one had bought it, probably becuase it was not in good condition and the two men in the picture evidently were not familiar to anybody. Over the next three weeks, I went there each Tuesday and Thursday and found the same picture in various locations in the store.

During this same period of time I was doing some research at the library on the Mormon trek westward taking Zion into the Rocky Mountains. In a book I came across a picture of Brigham Young crossing the plains. "Hmmmm" I said to myself, "I just saw a picture of him like that recently.". Then I remembered the large, old photo that I had seen at the Deseret Industries and realized one of the men in that photo was Brigham Young! He had no beard and was quite young looking and not the usual age that we often see him in pictures.

It was very difficult to wait for the next day to come. After a long, restless night of little sleep, I hurried to be there at the Deseret Industries before the doors opened. One of the workers greeted me as she unlocked the front door with, 'You're sure here early."

I wasted no time going to the picture section. However, the picture I was looking for was not there. To my dismay I couldn't locate it anywhere! It was no where to be found. Heartsick, I felt I had missed a great treasure. I deeply regretted I had not purchased the photo while it was still available.

Disappointed, I resumed my customary activity of looking for any items of historic value. After about forty five minutes of searching, I came to a pile of items at the back door. As I was standing there deep in thought, my eye caught a glimpse of something on top of a nearby refrigerator. Curious, I lifted it up. There was the very picture I had come to find!

I was so thrilled I knew that Brigham Young was the man on the right in the picture! Taking the photograph up to the front counter, I purchased it. The photo had flaking, a few tears, and I might add, what appeared to be two bullet holes. One in Brigham's head and another in the other man's heart. At this point I did not realize who the second man was. I also notice red lines drawn around their necks, perhaps to signify the cutting of their throats. Since that time, I have wondered if this picture might have been hanging in a Nauvoo home when the mobs forced the Saints out of their homes. It appeared that the two men in the photo were recognized and maligned with gestures which symbolized killing them.

It so happened that the Joseph Smith Memorial Building was being dedicated at this same time and much emphasis was being placed on the persecution of the Saints and their movement West. In addition to that wealth of information, my personal research told me that Joseph and Brigham spent endless time together, countless hours working out the plans to bring Zion to the Rocky Mountains. Knowing about the deep friendship and closeness of Brigham and Joseph, I wondered if the two men in the photo were these two prophets together. Or perhaps, I pondered, could this grand person at the left-hand side of Brigham be his father or brother? I asked myself, "What other person could this noble looking man possibly be? Then, in that moment, it was made known to me that this image was indeed the Prophet Joseph Smith. Because I was so familiar with his side profile I began to recognize his features immediately.

I knew for a certainty that it was the prophet Joseph Smith. It looked like these two men in the photo had just come from the barber shop. Their hair was neatly cut and probably still wet from being combed. They both looked freshly scrubbed and shaven and it appeared as if their brows had been trimmed.

Three weeks later after purchasing this picture, I encountered the frame, also in the shape of an octagon, at the same Deseret Industries. In my whole life I have never before seen an octagon-shaped frame for a picture. There were four nail holes and these holes matched exactly to the picture I had purchased. The frame, made from a rough-type molding, was painted with a white type of plaster paint and then covered with an outer coat of black paint.

I have a strong testimony to the truthfulness of this being the Prophet Joseph Smith, that it has come at this time for a prescribed reason. When I look at these two prophets, especially Joseph, I see great strength. Both appear to be firm, unshakable men of God, with a solid strength and certainty. There is a peace and calmness in their countenances that has no trace of bitterness. But rather a softness and tenderness. I am especially touched by the purity and compassion in Joseph's expression. The Saints described Joseph as being a very humble and unpretentious man, a practical man. Those are qualities that I see in this picture. To me, Joseph's eyes look like eyes that have seen across the veil and in my mind no one can disprove this picture.

Ephraim Hatch in the March 1981 Ensign wrote an article entitled, "What Did Joseph Smith Look Like?" He compared the often used, early oil painting of Joseph Smith to Joseph's death mask, showing that the features of the painting did not match Joseph's face. As he read accounts of both enemies and friends who described the Prophet, he found "certain characteristics that seem to appear again and again. Although these verbal descriptions could not pinpoint what he actually looked like, they let me ignore some notions that were obviously contradictory." The Saints described Joseph as having "a broad muscular chest and shoulders." To look at the photograph with Brigham, who was also a large man, we see Joseph with a huge chest and broad shoulders. Many of us have grown up with the familiar images of Joseph having thick, full bodied hair, which is in contradiction to how the early Saints described him. Their journals indicate that 'his hair was fine, not curly, and light brown, changing to auburn in later years." Joseph was subjected to poor diets during the many months in prison and was even poisoned, both of which could have contributed to thinning hair. However, his sons were known to have thick bodied hair.

The oil painting the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints often uses for Joseph Smith shows a man with a very triangular face. That same painting shows a furrow near his brow. According to those who personally knew him, Joseph's head "was large, oblong oval in shape." a description which matches this picture of Joseph and Brigham taken together. Joseph's brow is unfurrowed and his expression is peaceful.

William Fawcett, an English convert, first saw Joseph on April 12, 1843 at the steamboat landing in Nauvoo. Speaking of the Prophet's appearance and character, he says "His appearance was that of a fine, portly gentlemen, six feet high, weighing about two hundred pounds. He was pleasant and kind" ("Recollections" JI 27 1892, 66.) Others used the term "portly" to describe Joseph. The man appearing in the photo we present is not fat, but has a double chin and could be called "portly".

To further quote from the Ensign article we learn that, "People say that he was a good looking man... His eyes, light hazel or blue, were set far apart, deep in the head. His nose was long and prominent. His face had a pleasant expression with an unconscious smile. His upper lip was full and a little protruding. His chin was broad and square with very little beard... he was usually well dressed, generally in black with a white necktie."

What is so amazing is that the photograph has been tinted to show that the man whom we say is Joseph had blue eyes and light brown hair.

Since having this photograph in my possession, I have had some interesting occurrences. A woman who does research for the Brigham Young family, came all the way from California to see the picture. As she viewed it, she told me that she thought she had a picture of Brigham that looked just like the young Brigham in my photo. Another woman, Sherry Albrethsen, in search of an authentic likeness of Joseph Smith ended up at my door. She was in the process of painting a portrait of Joseph smith. Feeling that there existed no true likeness of Joseph, she had fasted and prayed fervently over a period of weeks for the ability to paint an authentic portrait of the Prophet. During this time she purchased a copy of Shannon Tracy's book, In Search of Joseph, which used the death mask, measurements from the actual skull of Joseph and computer technology to formulate a picture of what Joseph really looked like. Excited to have this additional information, she prepared to paint her portrait of Joseph.

On the morning of the very day she had begun to sketch the face onto her gesso board, she met a couple while waiting in line at a store. They began to visit with her and in the course of the conversation, they told her of a man in Pleasant Grove who had a photo of Joseph Smith. They gave her my name. She immediately went to a phone, looked my name up and called me. I showed her a copy of the photo the next day which has a very strong detailed resemblance to Shannon Tracy's image of Joseph Smith. I promised to later show her the actual photo, which I keep in an undisclosed location. She called me a few days later to say she felt very strongly it was Joseph Smith. I invited her to see the actual photograph. Placing the photo side by side the picture of the death mask. It reinforced her belief that it was indeed the Prophet Joseph Smith. She felt she had been led to my door in answer to her prayers.

Through continuous research, meeting with authors, historians, sculptors, artists and computer technicians, I have authenticated this picture to be a print from a daguerreotype photograph of the 1840 era.

When Joseph Smith gave individuals the Book of Mormon, he invited the investigators to test the promise of Moroni "And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy ghost. And by the power of the Holy ghost ye may know the truth of all things."

I would invite you to know for yourself if this is an actual picture of the Prophet Joseph Smith. You can know for yourself by inquiring of God,
"who giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not." If you lack the wisdom or knowledge of this matter, through prayer, it shall be given you if you "ask in faith, nothing wavering." (James 1:5,6) I asked for an old picture of Joseph Smith and Brigham young... and I received a picture of Joseph and Brigham. It is like the old good book says, "Ask and ye shall receive."

Before Joseph died in the work of the Lord here on Earth, just think - he had his picture taken with Brigham Young. Now others may enjoy and examine his true appearance and share him through their talented pursuits.