← Research

What did Joseph really look like?

June 28, 20113 min readThe Search

 
Below is a copy of the Unedited Photo of Joseph Smith; however, I did edit this copy by increasing the contrast, sharpening the details, trimming the top slightly to fit a more standard print frame, and, of course, adding lettering.
.

Joseph Smith Junior copied from his daguerreotype.

It was a very interesting process working in Photoshop; I found so many more hidden details in the Unedited Photograph.  Each time I approached a new section of the picture, I found something new I hadn’t seen before. It was exciting, even though reworking the colorized image was tedious and complex.  I didn’t want the standard black-and-white photo with flesh tone applied.  I felt like I had to rely on my artistic skills to bring him to life the best I could, not with oil paint but with pixels.  While the 2nd generation photo of Joseph has more details than any other image, unfortunately, certain particulars are only partially visible and others completely lost because of the daguerreotype reflection and paper stippling. For instance, only the top of his watch fob is visible, but the direction of the chain quickly disappears.

Note the orange-highlighted beginning of what appears to be a watch fob.

What I thought was a filigree “S” cravat pin in gold actually appears to be an embroidered “S” button embellishment.  Once I found the small ribbon edge around the octagon medallion, I suddenly could see the ruffled edges of what appeared to be lace on his cravat.

With the contrast amped up, I added a few highlights to direct the eyes to the button and ruffles.

Next, what I thought was a button on his vest was not just a button but possibly a military insignia with a star above it.  I wondered if there was possibly a ribbon attached to it, but without certainty, I did not add it.  I searched the internet for pictures of his Lieutenant General insignia but could only find tiny artist renditions of it.  They did appear similar, but nothing exact.  If anyone knows anything more about this metal, please let me know.

Last, was the discovery of what appears to be an embroidered ribbon, perhaps a black mourning ribbon.  I wondered if it was just a pattern in the fabric that was on the lapel of the jacket, but the light shadow under the bow makes me believe it is sitting on top of the fabric but stitched in. The ornamental edging of the buttonhole appears to be tied into the design.  Again, if anyone knows more about Joseph’s clothing and can identify anything I have posted, please let me know at: josephsmithjr2009@hotmail.com.

P.S. I just have to add one more thing.  Again, none of these tiny, tiny details show up in any of the artwork (i.e., RLDS painting) of Joseph.  The Library of Congress edited albumen print of Joseph does show a faint indication of a fob and button.   Proof that these two images are tied together.  Leave it to a micro-scanner and digital files that can have the contrast/lighting worked with to bring out these hidden treasures.