Hidden clues in a photo.
While studying a poster-sized print of the photo (Joseph Smith Jr.) in a meeting with the LDS Church, Head Photo Archivist Bill Slaughter pointed out that something seemed off with his left eye. My husband and I were in agreement. We wondered if perhaps he had a lazy eye; the gaze of each eye appeared off from the other. We noted the large scar over his eyelid and wondered if it was a contributing factor. A couple of months later, while attending an eye appointment for my daughter, my husband decided to take the poster in and get a professional opinion. The Optometrist informed my husband that, from what he could tell, it was not a lazy eye but a condition called Esotropia, which is a form of strabismus in which one or both eyes turn inward. The doctor noted that it could have easily been caused by the apparent injury to the eye, noted in both the death mask and photo. The doctor also noted that the eyelid had a pronounced droop compared with the right eye, which indicated a severe injury/trauma to the muscle.
Please note the following image has had the contrast enhanced as well as a reversed image for viewing. Some find it easier to view the issues I am speaking about if the photo is flipped.
Click on image to enlarge.
After hearing all of this, I began searching to see if any of the artists that had drawn or painted Joseph had translated these issues into their work. Oddly, out of my huge digital collection, I could only find profile pictures of Joseph done during his lifetime. This got me thinking, why did he not pose straight forward? I understand why Sutcliffe Maudsley drew his images this way. He was known as a profilist, but what about the others? This is just my opinion, but I wonder if Joseph was a bit self-conscious about his eye, or maybe he felt his profile was more distinctive. Who knows?
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