Joseph Smith Portrait Research

01 · The research

Our focusChrist Joseph

A portrait informed by history

What did Joseph Smith look like? No single surviving source answers the whole question. A cast preserves contours; a portrait records an artist’s choices; a description captures what one observer noticed. Here we follow those records to see what supports our portrait, what remains uncertain, and what could justify a change.

The approved focusChrist Joseph Smith portrait, with light brown hair, a white neckcloth and a dark coat — Research reference
The portrait being examined
Our adopted portrait remains unchanged. It is a modern artistic interpretation, not an authenticated photograph or a forensic identification. [20]
Visit the owning portrait study

Joseph’s cast at the left of the BYU-catalogued photograph; a detail window of the complete pair — Research reference
Joseph’s death mask
Joseph’s cast, shown as a detail of a different, newly consulted photograph. It is not established as an original creation input. Closed lids and cast condition limit comparisons to a living face. Open the complete pair for context. Courtesy of LDS Church Archives; BYU item 4109, catalogue date 2001, public-domain designation.
View the BYU catalogue and rights record Read the museum’s mask history Visit the owning portrait study

Separate source views retain their own proportions. They are not aligned, warped, or matched to an anatomical scale. Keep pose, lighting and the cast’s condition in mind.

02 · The research

Contents and reading guide

03 · The research

The research verdict

This conclusion follows an audit of the actual approved pixels, the museum mask histories, journal records, written descriptions and the supplied research. The portrait has a long oval face, prominent nose, lighter brown hair and fair complexion. It also contains pores, color variation, folds and unequal contours. Generic criticism that it is textureless or perfectly symmetric does not describe this image.

Look at the face we retained; a detail of the adopted artistic portrait — Source detail · unchanged image
Look at the face we retained
The long oval face, individual skin texture and unequal contours are visible in the adopted portrait. This qualitative inspection supports the description beside it; it is not an authentication. [20] This is a viewing window into the unchanged source. Open it to inspect the complete image.
Continue this research chapter

Why a rebuild is not presently warranted

No appropriately matched, reproducible comparison has shown a particular structural error in this portrait. Absence of a measured match is not evidence of a mismatch. A replacement should correct a demonstrated material inconsistency or implement an informed artistic choice, not manufacture certainty by starting over.

The most reasonable optional study

The swept waves and hair volume are less firmly constrained than broad facial structure. A restrained, straighter-haired variation could be useful, with light lashes considered separately. Natural texture and arranged hair are not identical questions. Neither change is currently a proven correction. [12]

The optional question is in the hair; a detail of the adopted artistic portrait — Source detail · unchanged image
The optional question is in the hair
The swept waves and volume are visible artistic choices. A straighter-haired study has been proposed, not made or proven more accurate. [12] This is a viewing window into the unchanged source. Open it to inspect the complete image.
Continue this research chapter

What the conclusion does not claim

It does not assign an accuracy percentage, authenticate a photograph, recover an exact eye shade or identify every individual skin mark. It does not prescribe changes to the nose, jaw, eye spacing, iris color, age or scars. The current approved image remains the comparison baseline.

The independent research reviews converge on retaining the portrait. They differ on how strongly a hair change is warranted. That remaining artistic judgment is preserved rather than turned into unanimous certainty.

04 · The research

Masks and life-derived art

The mask as a structural anchor

The original molds date to 29 June 1844; the surviving casts have uncertain manufacture dates. They record postmortem surface contours. Copying, repairs, missing regions and soft-tissue changes limit literal comparison. Related casts are not independent anatomical witnesses. [1]

The mask comparison in the portrait study now uses this same newly consulted BYU photograph. It supplies source context, not a pose-matched overlay or proof of agreement, and is not established as an original creation input. [1, 20]

Museum photograph showing the death masks of Joseph and Hyrum Smith — Research reference
Two distinct faces
Joseph is on the left and Hyrum on the right in this photograph, identified by BYU’s catalogue. This newly consulted reference illustrates the surviving casts; it is not established as an original portrait-creation input. Courtesy of LDS Church Archives; BYU item 4109, catalogue date 2001, public-domain designation.
View the BYU catalogue and rights record Read the museum’s mask history Visit the owning portrait study

Maudsley: a documented sitting, several objects

The journal records a profile sitting on 25 June 1842. The museum says the original sitting drawing is unidentified. Hatch describes the 1982 discovery more precisely as a probable map-source painting; this may resolve Sweat's broader wording if different objects are meant. Neither should simply be equated with the sitting drawing. A profile constrains silhouette, not all frontal dimensions. [2, 3, 5, 23]

Rogers: use within its documented limits

September 1842 journal entries document painting sessions. The familiar oil is attributed to Rogers, with object history and artistic accuracy still requiring care. Curator Robert O. Davis challenges Hatch's scaling and camera-angle assumptions and argues for greater weight to the oil. Its criticism supplies no automatic correction to our portrait. [4, 5, 22]

Historical engraving · cropped detail

An 1842 engraving after Maudsley

A detail of Oliver Pelton’s engraving after Maudsley, published in Bennett’s The History of the Saints (1842). Hatch’s reproduced figure corroborates the image; the exact scan ancestry of this small reproduction remains unresolved. It is not the unidentified sitting drawing, a photograph, or a calibrated anatomical reference.

Read the museum’s original-versus-copy account Read Hatch’s illustrated chapter (PDF)Image provenance and public-domain record Continue this research chapter

Sitting for a painted likeness in a new illustration using our adopted Joseph likeness — New artwork · historical interpretation
Sitting for a painted likeness
Joseph faces us beside the back of an easel. His journal records painting sittings in September 1842; the room, pose and furnishings here are an artistic interpretation. [4]
Read the September 1842 sitting record Continue this research chapter

New artwork · explanatory interpretation

A profile offers a different view

An interpretive profile-sitting scene recalls Maudsley’s work in 1842. It shows how the forehead, nose, lips and chin form a silhouette. The newly imagined side view is not a measured reconstruction of the historical profile. [3]

Read the museum account of Maudsley’s profile Continue this research chapter

The historical image and newly made artwork have different roles. Labels identify the surviving source and the interpreted scenes; neither is an anatomically registered comparison.

05 · The research

Descriptions in their own time

The date of a meeting and the date a description was recorded are separate facts. A late firsthand memory may be valuable; it is not a contemporary entry simply because the remembered event occurred in Joseph's lifetime.

Record	What it contributes	How it is weighted
Davis letter, 6 February 1840 [7]	Estimated Joseph as 40-45 when he was 34.	Contemporary impression; apparent age can mislead.
Taggart letter, 10 September 1843 [6]	Young-looking near thirty-eight; approachable to the observer.	Contemporary letter with archival provenance.
Quincy letter, 16 May 1844 [8]	Several days' beard growth and clothes on the visit.	Contemporary, occasion-specific observation.

Record	What it contributes	How it is weighted
Quincy memoir, 1881-1883 [8]	Familiar eye, nose and forehead description.	Later recollection, distinct from his 1844 letter.

Historical document · later publication
Quincy remembers the visit
Josiah Quincy, Figures of the Past, 1883, printed p. 380. A later memoir, distinct from his May 1844 letter.
Read this scan in the archive Continue this research chapter

Title page of Josiah Quincy’s Figures of the Past, 1883. Publication date distinguishes this memoir from his 1844 letter. The contemporary letter discussed alongside it is a separate source; this title page cannot stand in for that letter. — Historical document · publication record
The letter and the later book
Title page of the 1883 memoir, shown with its description on page 380. This is not Quincy’s separate May 1844 letter.
Read this scan in the archive Continue this research chapter

These pages identify the publication and its description. The publication date is separate from the remembered event and from any earlier letter.

Record	What it contributes	How it is weighted
Pratt autobiography; Knight biography [9, 10]	Color, build, manner and grooming traditions.	Posthumously edited memoir / later mediated biography.

Historical document · later publication
A memoir published in 1874
Parley P. Pratt, Autobiography, 1874, printed p. 47. Retrospective memoir; this is the published book page, not a contemporary diary.
Read this scan in the archive Continue this research chapter

Record	What it contributes	How it is weighted
Gazette description attributed to May 1844 [11]	Hazel eyes, fine light hair and notable lashes.	Verified here through later transcription; original issue not inspected.

Historical document · later publication
Where the later book gives its attribution
The Birth of Mormonism, 1916, appendix C, printed p. 100. This later book attributes the description to an April 1844 letter printed in the Saint Louis Weekly Gazette; the original newspaper issue remains unverified. The narrator’s personal judgments are not anatomical evidence. Read the attribution and surrounding pages together.
Read this scan in the archive Read the appendix from its attribution Continue this research chapter

Record	What it contributes	How it is weighted
Haven letter dated 1843, published 1890 [21]	Blue eyes, light hair/complexion, youthful stout build.	Actual 1890 scan inspected; original manuscript unchecked.

Historical document · later publication
An 1843-dated letter, printed in 1890
Charlotte Haven, A Girl’s Letters from Nauvoo, published December 1890, printed p. 621. The letter is dated January 1843; its autograph and editorial transmission have not been inspected.
Read this scan in the archive Continue this research chapter

These sources do not form a simple vote. Independence, record date, editing and transmission matter more than the raw number of quotations. The conflict between hazel and blue therefore remains explicit.

06 · The research

Trait audit: facial structure

Look closely · Follow the evidence

01 Face length and breadth

In our portrait. Long oval face, broad upper face narrowing toward the chin.

The historical evidence. Masks and the Gazette transcription constrain broad shape; no pose-controlled ratios for this image were established. [1, 11]

Our assessment. Retain; no justified narrowing or widening.

The adopted face outline in the unchanged adopted Joseph portrait — Adopted portrait · native-source detail
The adopted face outline
The upper and lower face can be compared without changing the artwork. Detail window of the unchanged modern portrait; open the complete image for context.
Continue this research chapter

Joseph’s surviving face outline in Joseph’s cast at the left of the complete photograph — Historical cast photograph · detail
Joseph’s surviving face outline
The complete facial contour remains visible, including surface damage. BYU item 4109, catalogued 2001; courtesy of LDS Church Archives, public-domain designation. This photograph is a later comparison source, not an established original creation input.
View the BYU catalogue and rights record Read the museum’s mask history Continue this research chapter

An oval described in a later transcription — The Birth of Mormonism, 1916, appendix C, printed p. 101. This later book attributes the description to an April 1844 letter printed in the Saint Louis Weekly Gazette; the original newspaper issue remains unverified. — Historical document · later printing
An oval described in a later transcription
The closing lines describe shape; the accompanying phrenological claims are not accepted anatomical evidence. The Birth of Mormonism, 1916, appendix C, printed p. 101. This later book attributes the description to an April 1844 letter printed in the Saint Louis Weekly Gazette; the original newspaper issue remains unverified.
Read the complete source page Read the later book’s attribution Continue this research chapter

The portrait has a long oval outline, broad above and narrower toward the chin. Joseph’s surviving cast offers a useful contour reference; the later transmission of the Gazette description also calls his head an oblong oval. [1, 11]

This explains a resemblance visible today. It does not recover the original artist’s individual decisions.

What this can and cannot tell us

Different views, postmortem changes and cast condition prevent a measured face-width match.

Look closely · Follow the evidence

02 Forehead and brow structure

In our portrait. Broad textured forehead, fine lines and substantial brow.

The historical evidence. Masks and profiles are relevant; later Quincy wording is not a contemporary measurement. [1, 3, 8]

Our assessment. A proposed slope change first needs a matched profile.

Forehead and brow in the artwork in the unchanged adopted Joseph portrait — Adopted portrait · native-source detail
Forehead and brow in the artwork
Fine lines and brow texture are visible artistic choices. Detail window of the unchanged modern portrait; open the complete image for context.
Continue this research chapter

Forehead above the cast’s brows in Joseph’s cast at the left of the complete photograph — Historical cast photograph · detail
Forehead above the cast’s brows
The cast provides contour, not a living hairline. BYU item 4109, catalogued 2001; courtesy of LDS Church Archives, public-domain designation. This photograph is a later comparison source, not an established original creation input.
View the BYU catalogue and rights record Read the museum’s mask history Continue this research chapter

Quincy’s later description of the forehead — Josiah Quincy, Figures of the Past, 1883, printed p. 380. A later memoir, distinct from his May 1844 letter. — Historical document · later printing
Quincy’s later description of the forehead
This anatomical description belongs to the 1883 memoir, not the separate 1844 letter. Josiah Quincy, Figures of the Past, 1883, printed p. 380. A later memoir, distinct from his May 1844 letter.
Read the complete source page Continue this research chapter

Light changes what seems prominent — newly made interpretive Joseph artwork — New artwork · explanatory interpretation
Light changes what seems prominent
Even light and side light give different impressions of the nose, brow and cheek. This explanatory pair reminds us to consider illumination before treating a shadow as a structural difference. It is not a controlled relighting test.
Read the history and limits of the casts Continue this research chapter

The adopted forehead is broad, with restrained lines and a substantial brow. The cast preserves surface contour, while Quincy’s later memoir describes a retreating forehead. These are different kinds of evidence. [1, 8]

What this can and cannot tell us

A forehead’s apparent slope depends on viewpoint. Neither the cast photograph nor a verbal description fixes living wrinkles or hairline.

Look closely · Follow the evidence

03 Nose

In our portrait. Long prominent bridge, rounded tip and visible alar breadth.

The historical evidence. Masks and Maudsley matter most. A criticism of Rogers is not a demonstrated defect here. [1, 3, 5]

Our assessment. Retain; no evidence-derived rotation, narrowing or millimeter adjustment.

Bridge, tip and nasal breadth in the unchanged adopted Joseph portrait — Adopted portrait · native-source detail
Bridge, tip and nasal breadth
This detail shows the adopted shape, not a measurement. Detail window of the unchanged modern portrait; open the complete image for context.
Continue this research chapter

Nose in the surviving cast in Joseph’s cast at the left of the complete photograph — Historical cast photograph · detail
Nose in the surviving cast
Observe the bridge and nostril region with the photograph’s lighting in mind. BYU item 4109, catalogued 2001; courtesy of LDS Church Archives, public-domain designation. This photograph is a later comparison source, not an established original creation input.
View the BYU catalogue and rights record Read the museum’s mask history Continue this research chapter

Historical engraving · cropped detail

An 1842 engraving after Maudsley

A detail of Oliver Pelton’s engraving after Maudsley, published in Bennett’s The History of the Saints (1842). Hatch’s reproduced figure corroborates the image; the exact scan ancestry of this small reproduction remains unresolved. It is not the unidentified sitting drawing, a photograph, or a calibrated anatomical reference.

Read the museum’s original-versus-copy account Read Hatch’s illustrated chapter (PDF)Image provenance and public-domain record Continue this research chapter

Bridge, tip and breadth in a new illustration using our adopted Joseph likeness — New artwork · feature study
Bridge, tip and breadth
The light follows the bridge to the rounded tip and the sides of the nose. This new illustration makes those choices easier to see; it does not establish a measured fit to the cast.
Read the history and limits of the casts Read the museum account of Maudsley’s profile Continue this research chapter

The portrait retains a prominent bridge and rounded nasal tip. The cast and the profile engraving provide different views of this central feature. [1, 3]

What this can and cannot tell us

The engraving passes through an artist and engraver; the cast photograph has its own angle and lighting. No exact profile registration was performed.

Look closely · Follow the evidence

04 Mouth and upper-lip region

In our portrait. Noticeable skin distance above the mouth, moderate upper lip and fuller lower lip.

The historical evidence. Skin distance and red-lip thickness are different observations. The transmitted Gazette description is not a precise anatomical measurement. [11]

Our assessment. Retain; define the feature before proposing a change.

Upper-lip distance and mouth in the unchanged adopted Joseph portrait — Adopted portrait · native-source detail
Upper-lip distance and mouth
The space above the lip and the lip itself are both visible. Detail window of the unchanged modern portrait; open the complete image for context.
Continue this research chapter

Mouth in the cast in Joseph’s cast at the left of the complete photograph — Historical cast photograph · detail
Mouth in the cast
The closed cast mouth supplies limited contour evidence. BYU item 4109, catalogued 2001; courtesy of LDS Church Archives, public-domain designation. This photograph is a later comparison source, not an established original creation input.
View the BYU catalogue and rights record Read the museum’s mask history Continue this research chapter

The transmitted lip description — The Birth of Mormonism, 1916, appendix C, printed p. 102. This later book attributes the description to an April 1844 letter printed in the Saint Louis Weekly Gazette; the original newspaper issue remains unverified. — Historical document · later printing
The transmitted lip description
The passage distinguishes complexion, cheeks and lips, then adds the writer’s judgments. The Birth of Mormonism, 1916, appendix C, printed p. 102. This later book attributes the description to an April 1844 letter printed in the Saint Louis Weekly Gazette; the original newspaper issue remains unverified.
Read the complete source page Read the later book’s attribution Continue this research chapter

Above the mouth and within the lips in a new illustration using our adopted Joseph likeness — New artwork · feature study
Above the mouth and within the lips
The skin between nose and mouth is distinct from the colored surface of the upper lip. Keeping those regions separate helps us read a verbal description more carefully. New explanatory artwork.
Read the later Gazette description Read the history and limits of the casts Continue this research chapter

The skin between nose and mouth is distinct from the red part of the upper lip. The portrait shows a moderate upper lip and fuller lower lip; the later Gazette transcription describes thin lips. These statements should not be treated as one measurement. [11]

What this can and cannot tell us

A closed postmortem mouth cannot determine every living mouth position or the appearance of a smile.

07 · The research

Trait audit: chin and living eyes

Look closely · Follow the evidence

05 Chin and jaw

In our portrait. Firm chin with rounded-square corners.

The historical evidence. Mask coverage, repairs and orientation limit comparison. Round/square verbal labels are not measurements. [1]

Our assessment. No justified width or projection correction has been demonstrated.

Chin and lower jaw in the unchanged adopted Joseph portrait — Adopted portrait · native-source detail
Chin and lower jaw
The retained lower-face shape can be inspected in the original pixels. Detail window of the unchanged modern portrait; open the complete image for context.
Continue this research chapter

Chin and jaw in the cast in Joseph’s cast at the left of the complete photograph — Historical cast photograph · detail
Chin and jaw in the cast
Surface condition is part of the evidence and must remain visible. BYU item 4109, catalogued 2001; courtesy of LDS Church Archives, public-domain designation. This photograph is a later comparison source, not an established original creation input.
View the BYU catalogue and rights record Read the museum’s mask history Continue this research chapter

Breadth from the front, projection from the side — newly made interpretive Joseph artwork — New artwork · explanatory interpretation
Breadth from the front, projection from the side
A frontal view reveals breadth; a near-profile reveals the forehead, nose, lips and chin in silhouette. These newly imagined views explain why viewpoint matters. They are not calibrated projections or evidence of Joseph’s unseen anatomy.
Read the history and limits of the casts Read the museum account of Maudsley’s profile Continue this research chapter

The adopted chin has rounded-square corners and a firm lower contour. The cast offers a physical reference for discussing that shape. [1]

What this can and cannot tell us

Cast damage, coverage and orientation limit chin-width and projection comparisons. No corrective measurement is established.

Look closely · Follow the evidence

06 Iris color

In our portrait. Blue-gray appearance in this rendering.

The historical evidence. Haven's 1843-dated letter, published in 1890, adds independent blue-eye support. Later blue recollections coexist with the Gazette hazel description, transmitted later. [8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 21]

Our assessment. Blue is defensible, but exact shade is unresolved; no compulsory recoloring.

The adopted blue-gray iris in the unchanged adopted Joseph portrait — Adopted portrait · native-source detail
The adopted blue-gray iris
A close window of one eye in the unchanged portrait; its exact color is interpretive. Detail window of the unchanged modern portrait; open the complete image for context.
Continue this research chapter

Closed lids in Joseph’s cast in Joseph’s cast at the left of the complete photograph — Historical cast photograph · detail
What the closed lids can preserve
The cast preserves closed eyelids and surrounding form, not the color of a living iris. Read the blue and hazel descriptions beside the modern artistic choice. This photograph was consulted in the later research, not recovered as an original creation input.
View the BYU catalogue and rights record Read the museum’s mask history Continue this research chapter

Blue eyes in Haven’s published letter — Charlotte Haven, A Girl’s Letters from Nauvoo, published December 1890, printed p. 621. The letter is dated January 1843; its autograph and editorial transmission have not been inspected. — Historical document · later printing
Blue eyes in Haven’s published letter
The dated-letter text was printed decades later; its moral judgments do not validate anatomy. Charlotte Haven, A Girl’s Letters from Nauvoo, published December 1890, printed p. 621. The letter is dated January 1843; its autograph and editorial transmission have not been inspected.
Read the complete source page Continue this research chapter

Hazel in the later Gazette transmission — The Birth of Mormonism, 1916, appendix C, printed p. 102. This later book attributes the description to an April 1844 letter printed in the Saint Louis Weekly Gazette; the original newspaper issue remains unverified. — Historical document · later printing
Hazel in the later Gazette transmission
The color description is visible here; the original newspaper remains unverified. The Birth of Mormonism, 1916, appendix C, printed p. 102. This later book attributes the description to an April 1844 letter printed in the Saint Louis Weekly Gazette; the original newspaper issue remains unverified.
Read the complete source page Read the later book’s attribution Continue this research chapter

The living color the cast cannot retain — newly made interpretive Joseph artwork — New artwork · explanatory interpretation
The living color the cast cannot retain
Blue-gray irises bring the adopted face to life. This new illustration clarifies the artistic choice; the plaster contains no evidence of iris color. The full artwork remains available when opened.
Read Haven’s published blue-eye description Read the later hazel-eye description Continue this research chapter

The adopted eyes are blue-gray. Haven’s 1843-dated letter, printed in 1890, describes blue eyes; the later Gazette transcription describes light hazel. [11, 21]

Blue-gray remains an artistic interpretation within conflicting descriptions. It was not recovered from plaster.

What this can and cannot tell us

Neither a death cast nor a monochrome portrait establishes pigmentation. Haven’s autograph and the original Gazette issue were not inspected.

Look closely · Follow the evidence

07 Eye depth and lids

In our portrait. Open attentive eyes, natural lower-lid folds and unequal contours.

The historical evidence. Closed postmortem lids do not determine living aperture; illumination affects apparent depth. [1]

Our assessment. Do not invent droop or copy the death-state eyelids as a living face.

Living eyelids and lower folds in the unchanged adopted Joseph portrait — Adopted portrait · native-source detail
Living eyelids and lower folds
The opening and folds belong to the living-face interpretation. Detail window of the unchanged modern portrait; open the complete image for context.
Continue this research chapter

An observer’s impression of eye depth — Charlotte Haven, A Girl’s Letters from Nauvoo, published December 1890, printed p. 621. The letter is dated January 1843; its autograph and editorial transmission have not been inspected. — Historical document · later printing
An observer’s impression of eye depth
Read the physical description separately from the writer’s character judgments. Charlotte Haven, A Girl’s Letters from Nauvoo, published December 1890, printed p. 621. The letter is dated January 1843; its autograph and editorial transmission have not been inspected.
Read the complete source page Continue this research chapter

The portrait gives Joseph open, attentive eyes with natural lid folds. The cast records closed lids; Haven’s printed description gives an impression of eyes set back in the head. [1, 21]

What this can and cannot tell us

Closed lids cannot fix living eye opening. Light and head angle also change the apparent depth of the eyes.

Look closely · Follow the evidence

08 Brows and lashes

In our portrait. Substantial brows; lashes less conspicuous than the Gazette description.

The historical evidence. Long light lashes are a source lead, not a measured specification. The original newspaper image remains unverified here. [11]

Our assessment. An understated lash study is optional, not a proven correction.

Brow hairs and lashes in the unchanged adopted Joseph portrait — Adopted portrait · native-source detail
Brow hairs and lashes
Native portrait detail preserves the current brow and lash treatment. Detail window of the unchanged modern portrait; open the complete image for context.
Continue this research chapter

Lashes and brows in the transmitted account — The Birth of Mormonism, 1916, appendix C, printed p. 102. This later book attributes the description to an April 1844 letter printed in the Saint Louis Weekly Gazette; the original newspaper issue remains unverified. — Historical document · later printing
Lashes and brows in the transmitted account
The lower passage describes lashes and brows; subjective judgments remain the narrator’s. The Birth of Mormonism, 1916, appendix C, printed p. 102. This later book attributes the description to an April 1844 letter printed in the Saint Louis Weekly Gazette; the original newspaper issue remains unverified.
Read the complete source page Read the later book’s attribution Continue this research chapter

The portrait has substantial brows and relatively unobtrusive lashes. The Gazette description transmitted in 1916 emphasizes long, light lashes and light, thick brows. [11]

What this can and cannot tell us

This is one transmitted observer’s description, not a count or measurement of hairs. The cast does not resolve their color or living appearance.

08 · The research

Trait audit: hair and complexion

Look closely · Follow the evidence

09 Hair color

In our portrait. Brown with lighter strands and highlights.

The historical evidence. Descriptions support a lighter brown/dark-blond range, influenced in appearance by age and light. No exact colorimetry was established. [9, 11, 12]

Our assessment. Retain the general range; no precise color value is recoverable.

Brown hair and lighter strands in the unchanged adopted Joseph portrait — Adopted portrait · native-source detail
Brown hair and lighter strands
The selected color is visible in the original artwork. Detail window of the unchanged modern portrait; open the complete image for context.
Continue this research chapter

Light hair in Pratt’s memoir — Parley P. Pratt, Autobiography, 1874, printed p. 47. Retrospective memoir; this is the published book page, not a contemporary diary. — Historical document · later printing
Light hair in Pratt’s memoir
The physical description is retrospective and posthumously published. Parley P. Pratt, Autobiography, 1874, printed p. 47. Retrospective memoir; this is the published book page, not a contemporary diary.
Read the complete source page Continue this research chapter

The artwork uses brown hair with lighter strands. Pratt’s retrospective account describes light hair, and Haven’s published letter also uses a broad light-hair description. [9, 21]

What this can and cannot tell us

These words do not determine an exact brown or blond shade. Age, illumination and terminology can affect the descriptions.

Look closely · Follow the evidence

10 Hair texture and arrangement

In our portrait. Swept hair with visible wave and volume.

The historical evidence. Fine, straight natural texture creates tension with the coiffed appearance; arranged waves alone do not establish natural curl. [12]

Our assessment. Less wave and volume is the strongest optional study, not a compelled identity correction.

The arranged sweep of the hair in the unchanged adopted Joseph portrait — Adopted portrait · native-source detail
The arranged sweep of the hair
The visible waves are part of this portrait’s styling. Detail window of the unchanged modern portrait; open the complete image for context.
Continue this research chapter

Fine hair in the transmitted account — The Birth of Mormonism, 1916, appendix C, printed p. 102. This later book attributes the description to an April 1844 letter printed in the Saint Louis Weekly Gazette; the original newspaper issue remains unverified. — Historical document · later printing
Fine hair in the transmitted account
This passage describes hair quality and lightness, without measuring curl. The Birth of Mormonism, 1916, appendix C, printed p. 102. This later book attributes the description to an April 1844 letter printed in the Saint Louis Weekly Gazette; the original newspaper issue remains unverified.
Read the complete source page Read the later book’s attribution Continue this research chapter

Historical engraving · cropped detail

An 1842 engraving after Maudsley

A detail of Oliver Pelton’s engraving after Maudsley, published in Bennett’s The History of the Saints (1842). Hatch’s reproduced figure corroborates the image; the exact scan ancestry of this small reproduction remains unresolved. It is not the unidentified sitting drawing, a photograph, or a calibrated anatomical reference.

Read the museum’s original-versus-copy account Read Hatch’s illustrated chapter (PDF)Image provenance and public-domain record Continue this research chapter

A sweep made from individual strands — newly made interpretive Joseph artwork — New artwork · explanatory interpretation
A sweep made from individual strands
The new illustration makes the sweep, waves and lighter strands easy to inspect. Arrangement is an artistic choice; descriptions of fine or light hair do not fix an exact hairstyle.
Read the later Gazette description Read Pratt’s remembered appearance and manner Continue this research chapter

The adopted hair is swept back with visible wave and volume. A description of fine hair concerns strand quality; a hairstyle concerns how the hair is arranged. The two should be considered separately. [11]

What this can and cannot tell us

The cast provides no scalp hairstyle, and an engraved coiffure cannot prove natural curl or a single everyday arrangement.

Look closely · Follow the evidence

11 Complexion and skin detail

In our portrait. Fair skin with warm/red cheeks, pores, freckle-like marks and folds.

The historical evidence. A light complexion has support; each mark and degree of redness remain interpretation. [9, 10, 11, 12]

Our assessment. The actual pixels defeat a blanket smoothing criticism. Do not add artificial grime or aging.

Cheek color and skin texture in the unchanged adopted Joseph portrait — Adopted portrait · native-source detail
Cheek color and skin texture
This detail exposes the artwork’s individual skin marks and color choices. Detail window of the unchanged modern portrait; open the complete image for context.
Continue this research chapter

A broad complexion description — Parley P. Pratt, Autobiography, 1874, printed p. 47. Retrospective memoir; this is the published book page, not a contemporary diary. — Historical document · later printing
A broad complexion description
Pratt’s later memoir supplies descriptive words, not a calibrated skin sample. Parley P. Pratt, Autobiography, 1874, printed p. 47. Retrospective memoir; this is the published book page, not a contemporary diary.
Read the complete source page Continue this research chapter

The portrait uses fair, warm skin with visible pores and reddish cheeks. Historical light-complexion descriptions offer broad support for a light palette, but not for each mark or degree of warmth. [9, 21]

What this can and cannot tell us

Plaster supplies no living skin color. Individual freckles, pores, redness and fine lines remain artistic choices.

Look closely · Follow the evidence

12 Facial hair

In our portrait. Clean-shaven appearance.

The historical evidence. Retrospective sparse-beard descriptions and Quincy's contemporary several-day growth can coexist with changing grooming. [8, 9]

Our assessment. Retain for a general portrait; stubble belongs to an appropriate dated scene.

The clean-shaven mouth and chin in the unchanged adopted Joseph portrait — Adopted portrait · native-source detail
The clean-shaven mouth and chin
Grooming in this portrait is an artistic choice for this presentation. Detail window of the unchanged modern portrait; open the complete image for context.
Continue this research chapter

Beard growth in Quincy’s later memoir — Josiah Quincy, Figures of the Past, 1883, printed p. 380. A later memoir, distinct from his May 1844 letter. — Historical document · later printing
Beard growth in Quincy’s later memoir
The printed passage describes temporary growth. Its clothing wording differs from the contemporary letter. Josiah Quincy, Figures of the Past, 1883, printed p. 380. A later memoir, distinct from his May 1844 letter.
Read the complete source page Continue this research chapter

A visit does not freeze a lifetime of grooming — newly made interpretive Joseph artwork — New artwork · explanatory interpretation
A visit does not freeze a lifetime of grooming
Quincy described several days of beard growth during his May 1844 visit. This new scene interprets that temporary appearance; it does not establish an exact beard length or replace the clean-shaven adopted portrait. [8]
Read Quincy’s May 1844 letter Continue this research chapter

The adopted portrait is clean-shaven. Pratt remembered very little beard, while Quincy described several days of growth during his May 1844 visit. Grooming can change between occasions. [8, 9]

What this can and cannot tell us

Quincy’s 1883 memoir is shown here as a later source; his contemporary letter is separate. Neither requires a permanent bearded identity.

09 · The research

Trait audit: age and presentation

Look closely · Follow the evidence

13 Apparent age

In our portrait. Mature adult, plausibly in his late thirties.

The historical evidence. Contemporary impressions disagree: Davis estimated older, Taggart younger-looking. Joseph died at thirty-eight. [6, 7]

Our assessment. Do not age him merely to look historical. Each future scene needs its actual date and age.

Age in the eyes and cheeks in the unchanged adopted Joseph portrait — Adopted portrait · native-source detail
Age in the eyes and cheeks
Fine lines and texture give this interpretation its apparent age. Detail window of the unchanged modern portrait; open the complete image for context.
Continue this research chapter

A youthful impression in the published letter — Charlotte Haven, A Girl’s Letters from Nauvoo, published December 1890, printed p. 621. The letter is dated January 1843; its autograph and editorial transmission have not been inspected. — Historical document · later printing
A youthful impression in the published letter
This is the 1890 printing of an 1843-dated description. Charlotte Haven, A Girl’s Letters from Nauvoo, published December 1890, printed p. 621. The letter is dated January 1843; its autograph and editorial transmission have not been inspected.
Read the complete source page Continue this research chapter

Joseph was 38 when he died in June 1844. Observers’ estimates of his apparent age differed: Davis thought him older in 1840, while Haven’s published letter called him youthful. [7, 21]

What this can and cannot tell us

An observer’s age impression is not his birth date. The portrait’s late-thirties appearance remains an interpretation.

Look closely · Follow the evidence

14 Expression

In our portrait. Calm, attentive gaze and closed mouth.

The historical evidence. Descriptions of manner do not prescribe one permanent expression. [6, 9]

Our assessment. Retain as an artistic choice. Historical recognition cannot be assigned a defensible percentage here.

The portrait’s attentive expression in the unchanged adopted Joseph portrait — Adopted portrait · native-source detail
The portrait’s attentive expression
The relationship of eyes and mouth gives this portrait its present expression. Detail window of the unchanged modern portrait; open the complete image for context.
Continue this research chapter

A remembered manner and smile — Parley P. Pratt, Autobiography, 1874, printed p. 47. Retrospective memoir; this is the published book page, not a contemporary diary. — Historical document · later printing
A remembered manner and smile
This retrospective account describes manner rather than a single posed instant. Parley P. Pratt, Autobiography, 1874, printed p. 47. Retrospective memoir; this is the published book page, not a contemporary diary.
Read the complete source page Continue this research chapter

A small smile changes the face — newly made interpretive Joseph artwork — New artwork · explanatory interpretation
A small smile changes the face
Look at the corners of the mouth and the lifted cheeks. This newly made pair illustrates the effect of expression; it is not a recovered smile or a controlled anatomical experiment.
Read Pratt’s remembered appearance and manner Read the history and limits of the casts Continue this research chapter

The portrait’s calm attention is one chosen expression. Pratt’s memoir remembers an affable manner and an unforced smile; those impressions suggest movement and variety rather than one permanent look. [9]

What this can and cannot tell us

A fixed cast cannot recover personality or a living smile. A new expression study is contemporary explanatory art, not an eyewitness record.

Look closely · Follow the evidence

15 Asymmetry and scars

In our portrait. Unequal brow, lid and mouth contours; no prominent diagnostic scar.

The historical evidence. An unproven photograph's supposed scar or eye droop does not establish Joseph's living marks.

Our assessment. Preserve natural variation; invent no diagnostic mark to manufacture agreement.

Unequal eye and brow contours in the unchanged adopted Joseph portrait — Adopted portrait · native-source detail
Unequal eye and brow contours
The two sides are shown together without mirroring or retouching. Detail window of the unchanged modern portrait; open the complete image for context.
Continue this research chapter

Uneven cast surface and contours in Joseph’s cast at the left of the complete photograph — Historical cast photograph · detail
Uneven cast surface and contours
Damage and material texture must not be mistaken for documented living scars. BYU item 4109, catalogued 2001; courtesy of LDS Church Archives, public-domain designation. This photograph is a later comparison source, not an established original creation input.
View the BYU catalogue and rights record Read the museum’s mask history Continue this research chapter

The adopted eyes, brows and mouth are not perfectly symmetrical. Retaining these visible differences avoids turning a living face into an idealized mirror image.

What this can and cannot tell us

No reliable evidence reviewed here establishes a prominent diagnostic facial scar. Uneven cast surfaces cannot simply be transferred into living scars.

Look closely · Follow the evidence

16 Build and clothing

In our portrait. Bust in a dark coat and white neckcloth.

The historical evidence. A bust cannot establish stature, weight or full-body shape. Quincy describes different occasion-specific clothing. [8, 9]

Our assessment. Retain the period-plausible presentation without certifying exact clothing or body fidelity.

Coat, shoulders and neckcloth in the unchanged adopted Joseph portrait — Adopted portrait · native-source detail
Coat, shoulders and neckcloth
The visible garment details are the extent of the bust’s clothing evidence. Detail window of the unchanged modern portrait; open the complete image for context.
Continue this research chapter

Build in a retrospective description — Parley P. Pratt, Autobiography, 1874, printed p. 47. Retrospective memoir; this is the published book page, not a contemporary diary. — Historical document · later printing
Build in a retrospective description
Pratt describes stature, build and strength in words; this is not a body measurement. Parley P. Pratt, Autobiography, 1874, printed p. 47. Retrospective memoir; this is the published book page, not a contemporary diary.
Read the complete source page Continue this research chapter

The bust shows a dark coat and white neckcloth. Descriptions of Joseph’s stature and strength concern his whole body; they cannot be verified from this crop. Clothing descriptions also belong to particular occasions. [8, 9]

What this can and cannot tell us

This portrait does not establish height, weight or body proportions. Quincy’s later work clothes do not prescribe the clothes for every Joseph scene.

10 · The research

Decision and conditional construction

A bounded study, if later chosen

First define a dated scene or an explicitly late-Nauvoo portrait at about age 36-38. Identify the exact mask objects, Maudsley variants and Rogers-attributed work, including copying and repair relationships. Disputed photographs are not ground truth.

Before any structural change, demonstrate a stable material discrepancy in appropriately matched views. Record missing contours, perspective limits and independent reviewer disagreement. Design landmarks can document source consistency; they cannot supply identity probabilities or a forensic authentication. Unrestricted warping can manufacture an apparent fit. [15]

If a visual study is selected, test restrained hair first, with lashes separately. Keep other traits fixed so the comparison is meaningful. Current evidence supplies no replacement nose, jaw, eye spacing, iris shade or scar.

Evidence that would change the verdict

A repeatable mismatch that survives source condition, pose and analyst uncertainty; a newly authenticated contemporary depiction; or new original documentation could change a trait. A pleasing overlay or subjective confidence cannot substitute for those results.

Approval remains separate

Any future variation should receive independent historical and visual review before use. Adopting a new identity or publishing it remains a separate owner decision. A well-presented study or a technically sound image does not itself establish historical accuracy.

11 · The research

How our portrait was created

Recorded creation: The project identity record names Joseph’s masks as primary proportional references and Hyrum’s as comparative. The original prompt and intermediate fitting records have not been recovered.
Actually examined afterward: The retained portrait’s visible features, historical descriptions, cast histories and source publications were qualitatively reviewed. Newly consulted evidence is identified as later research.
Still proposed: Pose-controlled measurements, blinded comparisons and a restrained hair or lash variation have not been performed. Museum photogrammetry records casts; it does not validate this portrait.

The historical-identity record identifies Joseph's death masks as the primary proportional reference and Hyrum's as comparative material. It records the exact image adopted by Wyatt on 14 September 2026 as the identity reference for future Joseph scenes. [27]

A mask cannot supply living eye color, skin color, hair, expression, clothes or light. Those parts of the finished portrait are artistic choices informed to differing degrees by historical description and period context. Joseph and Hyrum were distinct people; comparison does not make their faces interchangeable.

What the creation record does not establish

The reviewed project record does not include a contemporaneous landmark measurement log or a complete original generation prompt. We therefore cannot certify that every dimension was measured against a cast, or that every source in this study was used during creation.

The living features the cast cannot supply; a detail of the adopted artistic portrait — Source detail · unchanged image
The living features the cast cannot supply
Hair, living eyes, skin color and lighting are visible choices in the finished artwork. They were not mechanically recovered from plaster. [27] This is a viewing window into the unchanged source. Open it to inspect the complete image.
Continue this research chapter

Creation and later research are separate

This audit examines the retained image against a broader historical record. Sources newly recovered during the audit strengthen or qualify our assessment; they are not retroactively described as original design inputs. The exact approved pixels remain the comparison baseline.

Why the distinction matters

A transparent process explains why the picture was made as it was. Historical accuracy still depends on the evidence for each feature. A documented workflow and owner approval establish provenance and acceptance of the artwork, not authentication of Joseph's exact living appearance.

12 · The research

Discovery coverage and remaining gaps

The investigation combined the supplied research with a broad, documented public-source search: Joseph Smith Papers, Church museum and library material, BYU Studies and RSC, digitized books and periodicals, newspaper catalogs, and methodological literature. This is not an exhaustive search of every internet page, archive or private collection.

What the expanded search changed

Haven's 1843-dated letter was verified in its 1890 publication. It strengthens the blue-eye choice and adds light complexion, youthful stout build and round shoulders. The original manuscript remains unchecked. These details do not validate every feature of a bust. [21]

Davis's critique shows why a mask-to-portrait ratio is not automatically decisive. His preference for greater weight to the frontal oil is a substantive alternative, not proof that the oil is exact. Hatch's map-source account also refines the identity of the Maudsley object rediscovered in 1982. [22, 23]

Conflicting descriptions stay visible

The descriptions do not all agree. Caswall's large hands contrast with the Gazette's small hands; youthful and older-looking impressions coexist. Hostility, memory, editing, viewpoint and occasion can affect descriptions. We retain the conflict instead of counting quotations as votes. [6, 7, 11, 26]

Still unresolved

The original Gazette issue, Haven autograph, complete chains for some art objects, and a controlled measurement of our portrait remain gaps. Additional nondigitized and private records may matter. None of those gaps is proof that the portrait is wrong; neither is their absence a reason to call it exact.

The revised conclusion is therefore specific: the evidence supports retaining this interpretation, but does not substantiate every visible trait or prove it is the closest image that could ever be made.

13 · The research

Sources: original records and art

Read the complete source entries

[1] Church History Museum: Joseph and Hyrum Smith death masks
Institutional object history; original molds and surviving casts distinguished.

[2] Joseph Smith journal, 25 June 1842, manuscript p125
Contemporary sitting entry; artist identification also uses JSP annotation 251.

[3] Church History Museum: Lt. General Joseph Smith, Maudsley
Object-specific gouache provenance; distinguish original sitting drawing.

[4] Joseph Smith journal, September 1842, manuscript p205
Contemporary Rogers-sitting context and editorial identification.

[5] Anthony Sweat: Joseph Smith in the National Portrait Gallery
Scholarly art history; pp 354-356 and 362-365. Includes attribution and recollection limits.

[6] Ronald Barney: Susannah and George Taggart letter, 10 September 1843
Scholarly transcription of contemporary letter with archive provenance.

[7] JSP: Discourse, 5 February 1840; Matthew Davis letter dated 6 February
Original letter and historical introduction; age impression tied to actual date.

14 · The research

Sources: descriptions and review

Read the complete source entries

[8] Jed Woodworth: Josiah Quincy's 1844 Visit with Joseph Smith
Transcription of 16 May 1844 letter; distinguishes 1881-1883 recollection.

[9] Parley P. Pratt: Autobiography, chapter VI
Accessible 1888 edition; first published 1874 with posthumous editing. Retrospective firsthand account.

[10] Susa Young Gates (Homespun): Lydia Knight's History, 1883
Later third-person biography, not a contemporary Knight autograph.

[11] The Birth of Mormonism, appendices, 1916
Transmission of Gazette description attributed to 18 May 1844 issue. Original newspaper image not verified here.

[12] Janet Thomas: What Did Joseph Smith Really Look Like? December 2005
Institutional synthesis; not itself a contemporary eyewitness document.

[15] FISWG: Facial Comparison Overview and Methodology Guidelines v2.1
26 February 2026, sections 6.2-6.4. Professional method limits; this report is not an expert forensic examination.

[20] focusChrist: Joseph Smith likeness study and approved portrait
Current public interpretation and source-use statement. Exact approved image preserved; public bytes matched. Process description is not measured historical fidelity.

Review record: the source and pixel audit received independent research review. Remaining judgments are identified in the text. Exact image and review records are retained with the project evidence; they establish which artwork was examined, not its historical fidelity.

15 · The research

Sources: expanded research and process

Read the complete source entries

[21] Charlotte Haven, A Girl's Letters from Nauvoo
Letter dated 22 January 1843; December 1890 Overland Monthly, printed p. 621. Original publication scan inspected; autograph letter and editorial transmission not checked.

[22] Robert O. Davis, review of Joseph Smith Portraits
BYU Studies 38:4, p. 185 onward. Museum curator's direct methodological criticism of Hatch's scaling, viewing angle and treatment of the frontal oil; not measurement of our portrait.

[23] Ephraim Hatch, Joseph Smith Portraits, p. 34
BYU digitized book page. Distinguishes the Young Family map-source painting found in 1982 from the Smith Family versions and hypothetical retained sitting drawings.

[26] Henry Caswall, The City of the Mormons
Contemporary 1842 account, compared with the 1843 edition. Hostile source with edition differences; large hands conflict with Gazette small-hands wording. No iris-color specification adopted.

[27] focusChrist historical identity and creation record
Project record at the retained production revision. Distinguishes the documented mask-based creation account from this later audit.

The final source set distinguishes contemporary documents, later publication of contemporary-dated letters, later recollections, art-object scholarship, institutional synthesis and the modern project record. Search logs and access failures are preserved with the private research evidence.

Inspect all ten historical document pages

Full historical page
Gazette Transmission 1916 P101
The Birth of Mormonism, 1916, appendix C, printed p. 101. This later book attributes the description to an April 1844 letter printed in the Saint Louis Weekly Gazette; the original newspaper issue remains unverified.
Read the archival scan Return to the source index

Full historical page
Gazette Transmission 1916 P102
The Birth of Mormonism, 1916, appendix C, printed p. 102. This later book attributes the description to an April 1844 letter printed in the Saint Louis Weekly Gazette; the original newspaper issue remains unverified.
Read the archival scan Return to the source index

Full historical page
Gazette Transmission 1916 P103
The Birth of Mormonism, 1916, appendix C, printed p. 103. This later book attributes the description to an April 1844 letter printed in the Saint Louis Weekly Gazette; the original newspaper issue remains unverified.
Read the archival scan Return to the source index

Full historical page
Quincy 1883 Title
Title page of Josiah Quincy’s Figures of the Past, 1883. Publication date distinguishes this memoir from his 1844 letter.
Read the archival scan Return to the source index

Full historical page
Gazette Transmission Book Title
Title page of The Birth of Mormonism, by John Quincy Adams. This is the later book transmitting the Gazette description, not the original newspaper.
Read the archival scan Return to the source index

Full historical page
Gazette Transmission 1916 Date
Publication statement dated 1916 in The Birth of Mormonism. The original Gazette issue has not been verified; this date belongs to the later transmission.
Read the archival scan Return to the source index

Our focusChrist Joseph

The portrait being examined

Joseph’s death mask

Contents and reading guide

The research verdict

Look at the face we retained

Why a rebuild is not presently warranted

The most reasonable optional study

The optional question is in the hair

What the conclusion does not claim

Masks and life-derived art

Two distinct faces

Maudsley: a documented sitting, several objects

Rogers: use within its documented limits

An 1842 engraving after Maudsley

Sitting for a painted likeness

A profile offers a different view

Descriptions in their own time

Quincy remembers the visit

The letter and the later book

A memoir published in 1874

Where the later book gives its attribution

An 1843-dated letter, printed in 1890

Trait audit: facial structure

The adopted face outline

Joseph’s surviving face outline

An oval described in a later transcription

What this can and cannot tell us

Forehead and brow in the artwork

Forehead above the cast’s brows

Quincy’s later description of the forehead

Light changes what seems prominent

What this can and cannot tell us

Bridge, tip and nasal breadth

Nose in the surviving cast

An 1842 engraving after Maudsley

Bridge, tip and breadth

What this can and cannot tell us

Upper-lip distance and mouth

Mouth in the cast

The transmitted lip description

Above the mouth and within the lips

What this can and cannot tell us

Trait audit: chin and living eyes

Chin and lower jaw

Chin and jaw in the cast

Breadth from the front, projection from the side

What this can and cannot tell us

The adopted blue-gray iris

What the closed lids can preserve

Blue eyes in Haven’s published letter

Hazel in the later Gazette transmission

The living color the cast cannot retain

What this can and cannot tell us

Living eyelids and lower folds

Closed lids in Joseph’s cast

An observer’s impression of eye depth

What this can and cannot tell us

Brow hairs and lashes

Lashes and brows in the transmitted account

What this can and cannot tell us

Trait audit: hair and complexion

Brown hair and lighter strands

Light hair in Pratt’s memoir

What this can and cannot tell us

The arranged sweep of the hair

Fine hair in the transmitted account

An 1842 engraving after Maudsley

A sweep made from individual strands

What this can and cannot tell us

Cheek color and skin texture

A broad complexion description

What this can and cannot tell us

The clean-shaven mouth and chin

Beard growth in Quincy’s later memoir

A visit does not freeze a lifetime of grooming

What this can and cannot tell us

Trait audit: age and presentation

Age in the eyes and cheeks

A youthful impression in the published letter