Here is the story behind this discovery.
It seems wonderful to see the face of a man whom I regard as a real prophet. This image is far more impressive than the portraits done at the time. It now seems a little easier to imagine how he did what he did, and why so many felt inspired to believe and follow him.
NOTE ADDED: Here are a selection of first hand, contemporary descriptions of Joseph Smith. There is a fair bit of variation; but observers seem to converge on the fact that he was unusually tall, had blue eyes, a fair complexion, large nose, light brown hair, and an athletic physique.
He looks properly haunted. I didn't realize he'd be so good-looking, so strong around the jaw. This picture is not a disappointment.
ReplyDeleteRemarkable, and much more believable than the portraits that have become conventional. It makes me think of John Taylor's lines: "The seer, the seer, Joseph the seer . . . 'Mid the foaming billows of angry strife, he stood at the helm of the ship of life."
ReplyDelete@Epi - Yes, JS does seem good-looking, especially compared with the 'simpering' portrait from life (in the linked story) - which also fails utterly to capture the eyes.
ReplyDeleteIt makes one wonder about other people of the past only known by their portraits - especially when the portraitist was mediocre. e.g. The greatness of Jane Austen was certainly absent from her contemporary representations; likewise most of the pictures of Coleridge.
@Wm - I have gone back and looked at the photo several times, and each time I feel more moved by it.
I know very little about Mormonism but that's a strong face showing a man who could certainly be a prophet and a leader. The portrait shown in the linked article is terrible. You can see it's probably the same person but it captures nothing of what seems to be a fairly indomitable spirit.
ReplyDeleteThe death mask and some of the paintings match each other but not this new image. Doesn't seem to be him...
ReplyDelete@ben - From what I can see of the death mask picture - where it looks rather incomplete and distorted - I don't think it refutes the provenance of the newly-discovered picture.
ReplyDeleteGiven that Mormonism was announced and grew under the surveillance of the 'mass media' of its day, and that he was something of a national figure; I find it rather surprising that there are not *many* photographs of Joseph, printed in newspapers etc.