Photograph of Joseph Smith Not Verified
Wednesday March 19, 2008
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints just emailed the following news, "Claims Regarding Purported Image of Joseph Smith Explained." Here's a quote from the notice:
To see a copy of the photograph visit, "LDS Church Issues Statement Regarding Joseph Smith Image" at KSL.com.
Regarding the death mask of Joseph Smith, Janet Thomas from the Church Magazines wrote an article entitled, "What Did Joseph Smith Really Look Like," which said:
So if someone sends you an email or tells you about this myth, please forward them to this blog post.
"A purported image of Joseph Smith is circulating widely on the Internet. Some persons have mistakenly claimed that this image belongs to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and that Church officials have verified or are verifying its authenticity. These claims are not true.The Community of Christ owns the photo that people have speculated is Joseph Smith and should be contacted at Communicationservices@cofchrist.org if you have additional questions.
"This image, taken from a daguerreotype, belongs to the Community of Christ. On the basis of available evidence it is not possible to confirm that the image is in fact, of Joseph Smith. The Church does not have or own this photograph or any image of Joseph Smith other than several early artists’ portrayals of him and some early photographs of those artists’ portrayals. The Church does have the death mask of Joseph Smith."
To see a copy of the photograph visit, "LDS Church Issues Statement Regarding Joseph Smith Image" at KSL.com.
Regarding the death mask of Joseph Smith, Janet Thomas from the Church Magazines wrote an article entitled, "What Did Joseph Smith Really Look Like," which said:
"After the martyrdom, death masks were made quickly of Joseph and Hyrum. Death masks were made of plaster of paris, and in this age before photography was common, a death mask was one way to preserve what a person looked like. The death masks accurately preserve the facial bone structure of these two important men. If precise measurements are made of the death masks and similar measurements are made of paintings, drawings, and sculptures done since that time, it is possible to tell how accurate the artwork is as far as the placement of features" (New Era, Dec 2005, 28.)Sister Thomas' article has pictures of Joseph Smith's death mask, paintings and statues of him, and even a lock of his hair, which can be seen in the PDF version of the December 2005 New Era.
So if someone sends you an email or tells you about this myth, please forward them to this blog post.
I suppose the photo could still be real, it’s just not confirmed by the Church.
I actually like it.
How interesting! I know the church hasn’t endorsed the photograph/daguerreotype, but the possibility is still there.
Could you post a link to where you got this news bulletin from?
I just went for a google chase to find info on the various images of Joseph Smith that are available…it’s a fascinating topic!
I found the title and substance of your article here to be deceitful and inaccurate… almost none of what you wrote is actually true.
Although the Church has not authenticated the image, it has not disavowed it, either… it is simply reserving its endorsement for more conclusive results to come in, most probably in light of the Mark Hofman forgeries.
To label it a “urban legend” or “hoax,” however, is not only dishonest, it reeks of intentional deceit… or just plain ignorance.
A more balanced story on the image can be found on KSL.com at http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=2892497. You might want to find out more about issues like this before you embarass yourself any further.
It’s obviously a fake.
Joseph Smith has never looked anything like that…..
Darryl,
Thanks for your comment. You’re right that the title I used was not accurate, so I changed it to, “Photograph of Joseph Smith Not Verified” as for the information in the article it is not deceitful or inaccurate. The quotes given are directly from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-days Saints.
I also added a link to the article at KSL.com.
Deb,
The news bulletin was sent out in an email to media sources. When I asked the Church if this information was also going to be posted in the LDS Newsroom I was told no. But you can read the same post at KSL.com
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=2892497
Thanks for that link Rachel, I was so interested I actually went and did a lot of research myself on the topic. There’s some really intriguing info out there on the net about this picture and others that purport to be of Joseph Smith. Thanks for posting the update! xxx
I am enlightened and thankful for your effort of keeping us informed. I found the images and information interesting and this subject has open doors for more topics of conversations with my friends. Who are we to say they are not real? We will have to wait and see what the experts say…
Thanks