THE ONLY PHOTOGRAPH AUTHENTICATED BY HIS FAMILY DURING THEIR LIFETIMES

Photograph Found
a Thirty Year Perspective
(1992-2022)

Joseph Smith, Jr. is considered by millions of Christians to be a true prophet of the Lord Jesus Christ in the same vein as any mentioned in the Holy Bible. During his lifetime he established The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as "a body of Christ" to facilitate what he called "the final commission" before the return of Christ to restore what had been lost to Christianity over the centuries. Like many ancient prophets, he was murdered for his Christian witness.

Historical records state that Joseph Smith, Jr. was photographed in 1844 just prior to his death. This site documents the known facts about this photograph and explains its proven historical providence. It is the ONLY photograph of the Prophet to have been so stated by his own immediate family during their lifetimes.

This site contains the original research into this image first released to the public in 1992.

A colorized version of the photograph of Joseph Smith the Prophet that was in the possession of Emma Smith, his wife, then in the possession of Julia Murdock, his adopted daughter, and then owned by his eldest son, Joseph III. The following research from 1992 explains why this is the only photograph that can be authenticated as coming from the prophet's family during his lifetime.

After his martyrdom, Brigham Young led the majority of the congregation west into what was then upper Mexico. These territories became part of the Western United States when Governor Pico of California refused to submit to Napoleon III of France, choosing instead to turn over all his administration to the U.S. under General Fremont at the Campo de Cahuenga in what is today called Studio City, California, literally at the Western Gate of Universal Studios Hollywood, (see montage below).

Today the Latter-day Saint movement that Joseph started has circled the entire globe.

Campo de Cahuenga house.

California Governor Pico signing over Mexican-California to the United States at Cahuenga. This gave the territory of Deseret (Utah+) to the U.S.

A BIT MORE BACKGROUND - A NEW INTRODUCTION

It seems impossible that over 30 years have passed since Chad and Jim Fugate and I sowed some seeds and reaped a whirlwind by announcing that we had “discovered” a photographic image of Joseph Smith, Jr. I have to say “re-discovered” because the picture had always been with us, it’s just that — like with so many things that are obvious — it was too obvious. I will probably never tell the whole story as it is mixed with both joy and sorrow, plus I have also matured since then and hope that future young impulsive researchers will be equally kind to me in time.

It all started in the early 90’s when I had been researching American History, particularly the Revolutionary War. Latter-day Saints are unique in their love of our Founding Fathers and Mothers. While many non-Mormons love America’s beginnings, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are unrivaled in that we see the Restoration of the Church as eternally connected to the call of our fore-bearers to seek religious and civil liberties on the shores of the New World. We know that our destinies are forever connected to the land of our inheritance! Even the tragedies of our history in terms of slavery and manifest destiny are softened for both the victor and the victim when viewed in light of the Book of Mormon. That very holy and unique book dares to speak peace to all that will trust it. It shouts loudly that God is not finished with any of his children regardless of their national bloodline and historical trauma. It further warns the powerful and haughty that indigenous inhabitants of these shores are the House of Israel and God has not finished blessing the children of Jacob.

Members of the church add to this the restored knowledge that this land is a land of hope and promise and will ever be so as long as the inhabitants hold up Jesus Christ as their Lord and King. Even the terrible promise that the land will be cleansed by God Himself whenever it ripens in iniquity is a source of endless peace. In the Land of the Free, oppression and evil can never last forever. We are waiting with baited breath even now for Zion to arise and the New Jerusalem to serve as an endless fount to all her children. It was just such feelings that moved me as I was researching the sweet providence that snakes its way through that old Americanism “Don’t Tread On Me!”

It was in this mindset that I stumbled upon a record that Joseph Smith, Jr., had been photographed just prior to his death and that in order to copyright and protect the image, his son had secured a copy of it in Washington D.C. at the Library of Congress.

The internet was just barely being discussed by the nation as a public communication tool and daily CDs advertising AOL were coming in the mail. We had so many in fact that we started using them as garden art to keep the birds from breaking their necks on our windows or scaring the squirrels away from the bird feeders; the latter of which never worked.

Those were the days of piles of yellow pads and manilla folders. Despite my early twenties, I had already amassed 5 file cabinets of various sizes of data on any subject that interested me. Lucky for me, a girlfriend had taught me how to file data brilliantly and despite the mess, I was organized. I called a Librarian of Congress on the phone and told him all that I knew about the alleged Joseph Smith Jr. photograph and what I wanted to know. I was instructed to write up a letter and mail in a request and they would get back to me. About three weeks later they had found the image that I wanted and gave me a price for an 8 x 10 reproduction. In another three weeks I was holding a copy of the image that would later cause much controversy, both good and bad. The first thing I did was buy a frame, put the picture in it and set it on the living room mantle. Then, I went back to work on the Battle of Lexington and my hero George Washington. I considered the matter closed.

In those years, my cousin Chad Fugate would make frequent road trips from Idaho to Salt Lake City. Being close to my parents and having a common love of the medical profession, he would frequently stop in to see them.

At some point in these visits, it just sort of happened. I admired Chad’s mind and before long we would try to “one up the other” with some cool tidbit of history, science or Mormon doctrine. Mormonism is such a rich garden to explore that it never took long before each of us had a list of cool things to “shock and inspire” the other at a next visit. On this particular occasion my list was meager but Chad had learned about a handful of obscure Nauvoo journals from a colleague in Idaho who had written a major college thesis paper on Hebraic Chasmis in the Book of Mormon in the 1980s. He was sorrowing that his work had either gone unnoticed or had been stolen by later writers. I listened, trying to pretend I was interested, when I remembered the photograph on the mantle. So I said, “Well I have something kind of cool.” And I showed him the picture. Chad studied it carefully and said, “Reed, I’ve never seen this before. I really think you need to show this to the Church.”

I pooh-poohed his suggestion, “I’m sure they know all about this,” I told him.

“No, I don’t think so,” was his reply.

Well as it turned out at the time, Elder Lorin C. Dunn was in charge of the Church’s North America Central Area, which included overseeing the church’s tourism in Nauvoo. It just so happened that his “favorite” sister lived basically next door to me. So I thought, “What will it hurt?” I walked up the street and knocked on her door. I told her what little I knew and she said, “I’ll call Lorin and see what he says.” That’s the simple truth of how it started.

I soon got a call from Elder Dunn inviting me to meet him in Salt Lake and share what I had and what I knew, which of course was basically nothing.

At his office, I handed him the picture and told him my simple story about it, all the while, his assistant scribbled notes on a pad. He mentioned that while the image was familiar, it was obviously Joseph Smith Jr, — if it was anybody — but he had not seen this exact image before. I concluded with, “Thank you Elder Dunn for seeing me, I’d be very pleased to learn whatever the church finds out about this.” And I stood to leave. What happened next I could never have foreseen.

He handed the picture back to me and said, “Brother Simonsen, the church does not work that way. We do not take assignments. You study this out and then come back to us with your findings.” His seriousness was akin to those Stake President’s Temple Interviews where, after 15 mins of friendly chit-chat about basically nothing, a look of bone-splitting power streaks across his face and, boring straight into your soul, he says, “So, is there anything you need to clear up before I sign your recommend?” And your mind freezes up in terror knowing that “yes, there is probably something you could be doing better, if you could only think clearly, and did you ever really repent for that rotten thing you said in sixth grade?”

A little shocked and not wanting to detour my current course, I sheepishly thanked him for his time, took the picture and left, after all, I had work on George Washington to do. Little did I know that day that my phone would ring on-and-off for the next 7 years!

Growing up in the heart of Mormondom, I had always thought of myself as a “son of Brigham Young.” In my early youth I had accepted God’s challenge to read the Book of Mormon with an open mind and then prayerfully ask Him for myself if it was a true book. Having received my own undeniable answer from God Almighty that the book was true, I plodded along my life making both good and bad choices; trying not to “sin away all my rights” so to speak. What Elder Dunn gave me that day, which I could not have then understood, was the gift of Joseph Smith. Today I know that I am “a son of Brother Joseph.” He is my prophet, the first in a line of prophets reaching right up to the present day. I both love and respect him.

What would ensue over the next 25 years taught me something astounding. Once you step across the line of Joseph Smith, you can never go back to normal again. I was completely unprepared for that. I do not believe that there is another single historical figure known to man who can illicit the passion, lunacy, excitement, fervor, or deep spiritual enlightenment that Joseph Smith can. It is deeply ponderous to me and yet the warnings were always before us, openly given. The Lord Himself went on record telling Joseph:

Doctrine & Covenants 122:1-3 The ends of the earth shall inquire after thy name, and fools shall have thee in derision, and hell shall rage against thee; While the pure in heart, and the wise, and the noble, and the virtuous, shall seek counsel, and authority, and blessings constantly from under thy hand. And thy people shall never be turned against thee by the testimony of traitors.
Joseph himself said it with sorrow:

When you joined this Church... you left the neutral ground, and you never can get back on to it. Should you forsake the Master you enlisted to serve it will be by the instigation of the evil one. — spoken to Isaac Behunnin as quoted by Daniel Tyler, in “Recollections of the Prophet Joseph Smith,” Juvenile Instructor, Aug. 15, 1892, 492.

I can unabashedly testify that I have seen shades of all of this, and over something as trivial as a photograph. Joseph’s very name, two hundred years after his death brought into my life both hellish fools and the wonderfully wise and noble. There is no pride in this. It was nothing short of exhausting. I tasted but a small sample of it, nothing really, but it did teach me respect for Joseph Smith. I can hardly believe that he endured successfully all that he did while still accomplishing all that the Lord needed him to do. It is the ministry, the man and the Lord Jesus that I came to love in the end.

A photograph found

As a gift for those interested, I have decided to reproduce the original, landmark Photograph Found again as a book. It has for many years been out of print and as such only making rare and out-of-print dealers richer. I have been surprised on occasion to see it under glass and at a higher price than I’d be willing to pay. I would never have guessed that.

Since the release of the photograph and our research, several alleged photographic images of Joseph Smith have surfaced. All have been money making ventures. My father used to caution me, “Beware of Mormons making money off of Mormons.” I would offer the same advice to any Latter-day Saint in possession of a checkbook. And, remind them of Matthew 10:7-9 and perhaps more in keeping with the Restoration — Moses 6:58.

Also, it is impossible to re-read old writings and not improve grammar and clarify vagueness. I have also improved several illustrations and should improve others, but first a caution: A photograph of Joseph Smith is at best a novelty. The true measure of the man remains in the testimony of the Restored Gospel that he left the world. If I could, I would encourage those who study this work to keep their perspective and in the end, make up their own mind as to Joseph’s physical image. Never allow your testimony of the Restoration to become clouded by the smoke and mirrors of personal opinions. Opinions change with the wind. I have seen little things shatter testimonies. After you explore the evidence from 1992, I will offer a few new conclusions and anecdotes from over three decades of perspective. - Reed R. Simonsen

Next Chapter

Tell me the Story of Joseph

Trying to understand the history of this photograph through time was a foray into history. The result was this little reader designed for children and the child at heart.

Available Here