1840s Illinois Man, Possible Image of Joseph Smith
Click the three lines up above (if on a cell phone) for a drop down box to links to my pages of research, where I study the photographer, the style of photography, provenance and other alleged images...
Hi and welcome to my website. I have pages of research into an 1860s Carte de Viste, I own. Below is a short video showing the type of comparisons I performed, at first for fun, to see if an alleged photograph of Joseph Smith matched the death mask of Joseph Smith. I became convinced when I read a blog post about a man selling an image he thought was better contended for Joseph Smith (in 2009, there were a lot!), that he found in a Smith Family Album, which had images stamped in photography studios in Illinois, Missouri, Pennsylvania, all places Joseph Smith lived and I could see very disctinct similarities to the death mask of Joseph Smith.
I am trained in art and faces are my specialty, so when I stared at him and the death mask of Joseph, it took my breathe away. Using an app on my ipad, with an apple pencil, I studied him two ways: first by overlapping the outline of prominent facial features onto the equally sized death mask, then by doing an opacity trick to superimpose the death mask of Joseph Smith onto what I’ve dubbed, “1840s Illinois Man”. Video below I show these two techniques. I later found and bought the image; everything else I have found out has been very supportive to my theory.
I am trained in art and faces are my specialty, so when I stared at him and the death mask of Joseph, it took my breathe away. Using an app on my ipad, with an apple pencil, I studied him two ways: first by overlapping the outline of prominent facial features onto the equally sized death mask, then by doing an opacity trick to superimpose the death mask of Joseph Smith onto what I’ve dubbed, “1840s Illinois Man”. Video below I show these two techniques. I later found and bought the image; everything else I have found out has been very supportive to my theory.
The early 2000s numerous alleged images of Joseph Smith began cropping up, but none were solidely proven to be of Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith, the translator of the Book of Mormon and leader/Prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (1830- his death in 1844). There are many pictures of all Joseph Smith's successors, some in the same year of his death. Logically a photograph of Joseph Smith could be in existence, it was talked about by his family members and closest associates. The reason people are looking for a photograph of Joseph Smith, is in part because of what his son Joseph Smith III, said to the Salt Lake Tribune, in 1910:
"I do regret the statement made, that there is no authentic picture of my father in existence, for this is a mistake... visit the capitol of Iowa, [you] will find a duplicate oil painting of Joseph Smith in one of the halls...
"There is an authentic oil painting... at Independence, Mo... this portrait... is sustained in it's characteristic likeness to my father by the daguerreotype in our possession, taken the same year, I think, by an artist by the name of Lucian Foster..." 2 (Letter to the Salt Lake Tribune, by Joseph Smith III- page 29)
scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5922&context=etd
I have numerous sources, read many statements by his sons, other than J.S. III, talking about "pictures" of Joseph Smith. Alexander Smith quoted Brigham Young- his Father's closest friend, as being upset with their mother for not sharing "pictures" of their Father Joseph Smith. The painting referenced above is believed to be done by David Rogers, click the link above to read the strong evidence for this, done in 1842. The painting J.S. III references was photographed and enclosed in his letter, to the Salt Lake Tribune. He mentions a duplicate oil painting in Iowa, which WOULD be different than the "authentic oil painting", was known to be photographed many times, causing much confusions.
In 2017 I became owner of an 1860s Carte de Viste of man I am told came from Smith Family Photo Album. After a year of studying statements on the Juvenile Instructor Website, posting a "Fake Joseph", mocking the man who stated he thought it was Joseph Smith. This was a March 2009, short post, intended maybe to blow off steam, after a crazy year of people being obsessed with the Scannell Daguerreotype (which as a girl in her late 20s, I was totally oblivious to and had no knowledge of until 2017). It was a crazy journey of comparing the image I now own, but back then only screen shot from this blog, onto a cheap drawing app, Procreate, that allowed me to make layers and as an artist satisfy my need to know how well he matched the death mask of Joseph Smith.
The photographic artist, J.S. Bibbins, has a link to Emma Hale Smith. Joseph Slocum Bibbin's father, Elisha Bibbins, was a traveling methodist minister, in the beginning of the 19th Century. He was well known and written about in at least two books, spending the 1810s-30s preaching in various counties of Pennsylvania. In 1838, the Bibbins clan left Pennsylvania and moved to Newark, Illinois, where J.S. Bibbins grew up and became a photographer (in 1860). At that time in his life, another J.S.- J.S. III had moved the headquarters of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints- to Plano, Illinois (same county as Newark- mere ten miles away), in 1866, staying nearly two decades. The likelihood he could have had Bibbins do a reprint of his father's daguerreotype are strong, getting on his horse and traveling from Newark, to Plano was definitely not hard to do (ten miles, on a HORSE). I have resources and links on my page "The Photographer".
The first thing to authenticating a photo is seeing if the clothing styles match the time period, it does (1840s). My page, "1840s Clothing", explains how I concluded this was the right time period. Any criticism was about 1840s Illinois Man's popped down collar, trust me, it was a thing in the 1840s!!!
The image in question is a paper Carte De Viste, in the style of the 1860s. Emma Smith's 1845 daguerreotype was rephotographed, in the 1860s (similar style paper, and styles were very different with his decade), then so could an 1844 daguerreotype of Joseph Smith. If you want to read more, great detail, about the history of Photography and what I have found out so far please, click the page "The Carte De Viste". www.rickgrunder.com/VanNorman/Julia%20Album/julia.htm
I've dedicated 3 years studying this Carte de Viste and have yet found anything to make me not believe this is a photograph of Joseph Smith, in all honesty. It came from a Smith Family Photo Album, that has ties to Kendall County, where Joseph's sons live, he matches wrinkles and unique features on the death mask of Joseph Smith (there is some distortion, but NOT much, at all, to my own shock), his clothes match a vest of his, in the Pioneer Memorial Museum, which I study on the page 1800s clothing.
"I do regret the statement made, that there is no authentic picture of my father in existence, for this is a mistake... visit the capitol of Iowa, [you] will find a duplicate oil painting of Joseph Smith in one of the halls...
"There is an authentic oil painting... at Independence, Mo... this portrait... is sustained in it's characteristic likeness to my father by the daguerreotype in our possession, taken the same year, I think, by an artist by the name of Lucian Foster..." 2 (Letter to the Salt Lake Tribune, by Joseph Smith III- page 29)
scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5922&context=etd
I have numerous sources, read many statements by his sons, other than J.S. III, talking about "pictures" of Joseph Smith. Alexander Smith quoted Brigham Young- his Father's closest friend, as being upset with their mother for not sharing "pictures" of their Father Joseph Smith. The painting referenced above is believed to be done by David Rogers, click the link above to read the strong evidence for this, done in 1842. The painting J.S. III references was photographed and enclosed in his letter, to the Salt Lake Tribune. He mentions a duplicate oil painting in Iowa, which WOULD be different than the "authentic oil painting", was known to be photographed many times, causing much confusions.
In 2017 I became owner of an 1860s Carte de Viste of man I am told came from Smith Family Photo Album. After a year of studying statements on the Juvenile Instructor Website, posting a "Fake Joseph", mocking the man who stated he thought it was Joseph Smith. This was a March 2009, short post, intended maybe to blow off steam, after a crazy year of people being obsessed with the Scannell Daguerreotype (which as a girl in her late 20s, I was totally oblivious to and had no knowledge of until 2017). It was a crazy journey of comparing the image I now own, but back then only screen shot from this blog, onto a cheap drawing app, Procreate, that allowed me to make layers and as an artist satisfy my need to know how well he matched the death mask of Joseph Smith.
The photographic artist, J.S. Bibbins, has a link to Emma Hale Smith. Joseph Slocum Bibbin's father, Elisha Bibbins, was a traveling methodist minister, in the beginning of the 19th Century. He was well known and written about in at least two books, spending the 1810s-30s preaching in various counties of Pennsylvania. In 1838, the Bibbins clan left Pennsylvania and moved to Newark, Illinois, where J.S. Bibbins grew up and became a photographer (in 1860). At that time in his life, another J.S.- J.S. III had moved the headquarters of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints- to Plano, Illinois (same county as Newark- mere ten miles away), in 1866, staying nearly two decades. The likelihood he could have had Bibbins do a reprint of his father's daguerreotype are strong, getting on his horse and traveling from Newark, to Plano was definitely not hard to do (ten miles, on a HORSE). I have resources and links on my page "The Photographer".
The first thing to authenticating a photo is seeing if the clothing styles match the time period, it does (1840s). My page, "1840s Clothing", explains how I concluded this was the right time period. Any criticism was about 1840s Illinois Man's popped down collar, trust me, it was a thing in the 1840s!!!
The image in question is a paper Carte De Viste, in the style of the 1860s. Emma Smith's 1845 daguerreotype was rephotographed, in the 1860s (similar style paper, and styles were very different with his decade), then so could an 1844 daguerreotype of Joseph Smith. If you want to read more, great detail, about the history of Photography and what I have found out so far please, click the page "The Carte De Viste". www.rickgrunder.com/VanNorman/Julia%20Album/julia.htm
I've dedicated 3 years studying this Carte de Viste and have yet found anything to make me not believe this is a photograph of Joseph Smith, in all honesty. It came from a Smith Family Photo Album, that has ties to Kendall County, where Joseph's sons live, he matches wrinkles and unique features on the death mask of Joseph Smith (there is some distortion, but NOT much, at all, to my own shock), his clothes match a vest of his, in the Pioneer Memorial Museum, which I study on the page 1800s clothing.
Engraving onto paper, done by Frederick Piercy. He did not meet Joseph Smith in person, but I think his stay Emma in the 1850s, she showed him my image and he might have used that to create this drawing (which became an engraving), which depicts the same tie (large bow tie), popped down collar, hair style. Joseph is sitting... Hyrum Smith is standing- pointing at a book.
Sources:
1: https://juvenileinstructor.org/daguerreotype-of-joseph-smith-wearing-the-urim-and-thummim-caution-this-will-disturb-you/
2: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5922&context=etd
3: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1984/01/from-the-prophets-life-a-photo-essay?lang=eng
1: https://juvenileinstructor.org/daguerreotype-of-joseph-smith-wearing-the-urim-and-thummim-caution-this-will-disturb-you/
2: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5922&context=etd
3: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1984/01/from-the-prophets-life-a-photo-essay?lang=eng