Does the Unedited Photo Match the Skull? You Be the Judge.
Which skull belongs to Joseph Smith, and which belongs to Hyrum? That question lies at the center of a longstanding controversy over the identification of their remains following the 1928 exhumation.
In “Restoring the Lost Likeness of Joseph Smith, Part 1,” Donald Patrick Bradley Sr. and Joseph Brickey argue that the earlier identifications were reversed. Their research uses reconstructed 3D skull models and comparisons with the brothers’ death masks. On the question of the skulls being misidentified, I find their argument persuasive, as that has been my longstanding belief.
This discussion also deserves some historical context. Reed R. Simonsen and Chad Fugate’s Photograph Found: A Concise History of the Joseph Smith Daguerreotype, based on research released in 1993, examined the photograph, death mask, and skull evidence decades ago. Their work belongs in the history of this debate, as they proposed that Joseph’s and Hyrum’s skulls had been misidentified more than thirty years ago.
My agreement with the skull identification, however, leaves me with a question: Why haven’t the researchers at Brother Joseph Again requested a high-resolution copy of the Unedited Photo for comparison, especially before making their film?
They have never asked me for one, yet I have heard on more than one occasion that the skull does not line up with the Unedited Photo, sometimes called the Marshall Photo. For the record, I prefer “the Unedited Photo.” I am not looking for notoriety or to attach my name to the image.
The accompanying images are why I question that dismissal. I see apparent correspondence in the crown, the placement of the eyes within the sockets, the mouth position, and the chin. This overlay warrants closer examination, as the Unedited Photo is arguably the strongest candidate for showing what Joseph actually looked like.
Please be aware that overlapping images can create the visual impression of a closer match, an effect referred to here as a “morphing phenomenon.” This is why I traced the photograph’s basic outlines, making the individual features easier to compare. I also recognize that the alignment around the bridge of the nose is not as precise as I would like. I'm picky about such things, though it is close.
Access to the 3D skull model would allow me to examine it from different angles, as I can with the LDS Church’s 3D death mask, and assess whether the difference comes from positioning or the underlying shape. The image shown here was what I could find, and the positioning is not exact.
I have also wondered whether the light area at the top of his head is a highlight in his hair or visible scalp where hair is thinning or missing. Could hair loss associated with the tarring and feathering account for it? That remains a question, but the apparent alignment in that area is interesting.
Please note: This is a 3D image of Joseph's skull, not a living person.
By the way, I would happily accept whatever 3D skull and jaw files the researchers are willing to share, strictly for research purposes. In return, I would gladly provide a high-resolution copy of the Unedited Photo. Perhaps we could arrange an exchange. I would even send them a large poster print for closer examination.
This does feel late in the process, given the considerable time they have invested and the conclusions they have already presented in their movie. Even so, I believe this comparison deserves further attention. My interest is in finding the truth, and I am willing to have my own conclusions tested as well.
Let’s make the comparison with the best available material. Then let the results speak for themselves.
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