An Angel with a Drawn Sword Threatens Joseph Smith into Practicing Polygamy

Painted scene inside a dim wood-paneled room. On the left, a tall blond angel in a flowing white robe stands with outstretched white feathered wings, holding a long sword whose blade is wrapped in bright orange flame and pointed downward. Behind the angel, projected on the wall, a much larger shadow with curved horns, jagged batlike wings, and a snarling face looms. On the right, Joseph Smith — a man in a brown frock coat and gold waistcoat — drops to one knee on the wood floor with both hands raised in a defensive, pleading posture, his face turned up toward the angel in alarm. A small wooden table with an open book sits to the left; an unmade bed is visible through a doorway on the right.