Church History

Related

Painted interior of a 19th-century frontier tavern lit by sunlight through a multi-paned window on the left. In the center, Joseph Smith — a man in a dark blue frock coat with a high white collar and white cravat — sits on a wooden stool at a long oak bar, half-turned toward the viewer, holding up a glass mug filled with amber beer and a white head of foam. Behind the bar, an older man in a beige shirt, dark vest, and white apron wipes the bar with a cloth, his head bowed. To Smith's right stand a young woman in a cream bonnet and tan calico dress and a man in a wide-brim hat and brown coat, both watching him. Wooden barrels, sacks of grain, and shelves of bottles fill the back wall.

Joseph Smith Drinks a Mug of Beer at Moeser's Tavern in 1844 Nauvoo
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.

An Angel with a Drawn Sword Threatens Joseph Smith into Practicing Polygamy
Painted scene inside a brick distillery building. In the foreground center, Brigham Young — an older man in a black tailcoat, dark flat-brimmed hat, and white beard — gestures with one hand while walking beside a younger curly-haired man in a brown suit holding a small notebook. Two large copper stills with curving pipes rise behind them. Around the room, workers in shirtsleeves and aprons tend wooden mash tubs on a raised platform, while others load wooden crates stenciled "VALLEY TAN WHISKY — SALT LAKE CITY" onto a wagon. A sunlit street and brick storefronts are visible through an open doorway at the right.

Brigham Young Shows a Young Mark Twain His Valley Tan Whisky Distillery
Painted outdoor scene on a chilly farm with patches of snow, bare trees, and a log cabin in the distance. In the foreground, Joseph Smith kneels in a brown coat with his face buried in the crown of a hat held in both hands. To his left, three men in period work clothes dig a deep pit with picks and shovels — one works inside the hole, the others swing tools above. A windlass with a coiled rope and bucket stands beside the pit, and picks and rope lie scattered on the ground.

Young Joseph Smith Uses His Seer Stone in a Hat to Dig for Treasure on Josiah Stowell's Farm
Painted scene inside an opulent Nauvoo parlor lit by a chandelier and oil lamps. In the center, Joseph Smith stands in a dark blue Nauvoo Legion uniform with gold epaulettes, raising a wine glass and smiling. A laughing woman in a floral dress holds up a fan beside him. Other young women in fine period dress and an older butler in a black coat provide them with hors d'oeuvres and wine. Through the large window behind Smith, an orange fire glows in the street where silhouetted men swing tools to smash a printing press.

Joseph Smith Celebrates Polygamy, Power, and Excess as His Mob Destroys the Nauvoo Expositor Press
Painted scene inside a dimly lit Nauvoo parlor at dusk. From left: Joseph Smith leans forward in a dark coat, pointing accusingly toward a young woman while holding out a handwritten letter. In the center, 19-year-old Nancy Rigdon recoils in a gray-green dress with her hands raised in refusal, an alarmed expression on her face. To the right, her father Sidney Rigdon stands grim-faced in a dark suit and bow tie. Onlookers in period dress watch from the shadows. An old wall clock and a window framing the Nauvoo skyline anchor the room.

Joseph Smith Gives 19 Year-Old Nancy Rigdon the 'Happiness Letter' After Her Polygamy Rejection
Painted nighttime scene in a dimly lit barnyard. In the center, Joseph Smith is smeared with black tar and struggles to escape as an angry mob led by Eli Johnson dumps a bag of feathers over him. Smith reaches out toward 16 year-old Nancy Marinda Johnson, with whom he has had an improper relationship. Marinda stands with her hands raised to her face in shame.

Joseph Smith Is Tarred and Feathered for His Improper Relationship With 16 Year-Old Nancy Marinda Johnson
Oil-painted portrait of 14 year-old Helen Mar Kimball in a blue mid-19th-century dress with a white lace collar and cuffs, holding a small bouquet of flowers, and expressing a sad, downcast appearance. She stands beside 37 year-old Joseph Smith, to whom she has recently been plural married. Smith wears a black formal coat, vest, white shirt, and black bow tie.

Joseph Smith Takes 14 Year-Old Helen Mar Kimball as One of His Many Plural Wives
Painted scene inside a dim wooden barn lit by a handheld lantern. From left: Emma Smith, a dark-haired woman in a gray-green period dress with a stern expression, holds the lantern aloft. In the center, Joseph Smith stands in a brown coat, vest, and white cravat, looking caught and troubled. To the right, 16 year-old Fanny Alger in a white bonnet and apron-like dress grips Smith's arm with a frightened look.

Emma Discovers Joseph Smith’s Secret Relationship With 16 Year-Old Fanny Alger
Painted scene inside Carthage Jail at the moment of Joseph Smith's death. In the foreground center, Smith stands in a long dark frock coat, firing a small smoking pepperbox pistol with his left hand toward a mob bursting through the open doorway, while he grips a dark glass wine bottle in his right hand. A cloud of muzzle smoke fills the doorway, where rough-clad attackers raise rifles. Behind Smith to the right, two men struggle to open a window from which to escape.

Joseph Smith Drinks Wine and Shoots Back at the Mob in Carthage Jail Prior to His Death
Painted scene inside a dim log cabin lit by a small brass oil lamp on a wooden table. On the left, Joseph Smith sits in a brown coat with his head bowed and his face buried inside an upturned dark stovepipe hat held in both hands. On the right, scribe Oliver Cowdery sits in a dark coat, tan vest, white shirt, and black cravat, holding a white quill pen and writing on a sheet of paper; an inkwell and a small stack of pages rest near his right hand. A pewter mug stands on the table beside the lamp. Behind them is a stone-and-timber fireplace with a wooden mantel holding a candle and metal cup, a framed picture on the wall above, a hat hanging at upper left, and a shelf with books and pottery at upper right.

Joseph Smith Dictates the Book of Mormon Using His Seer Stone in a Hat