"Brother Joseph Again": Exploring the Visual Image of Joseph Smith Jr.

by Patrick A. Bishop and Joseph F. Brickey

Release date TBA

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Book Description:

For nearly two centuries, the true appearance of Joseph Smith Jr. has remained one of the most fascinating mysteries in American religious history. In "Brother Joseph Again": Exploring the Visual Image of Joseph Smith Jr., authors Patrick A. Bishop and Joseph F. Brickey combine investigative history, historical biography, and modern forensic science to uncover the most accurate representation yet of the Prophet’s face. Drawing from eyewitness descriptions, death masks, portraits, family photographs, and the remarkable Smith-Larsen daguerreotype locket, this richly illustrated book takes readers on a gripping journey through the life, martyrdom, and enduring legacy of Joseph Smith. Written with the pace of a detective story yet grounded in extensive scholarship and peer-reviewed research, the book explores how generations sought to preserve Joseph’s likeness and how modern technology may finally resolve a debate that has lasted since 1844.

At the center of the story is a groundbreaking forensic reconstruction created from historical measurements, death masks, and advanced 3D modeling techniques. The resulting image is then compared to the Smith-Larsen daguerreotype in what becomes the dramatic climax of the investigation. More than a study of appearance, the book offers readers a deeply human portrait of Joseph Smith as a husband, father, leader, and prophet whose influence shaped generations. Accompanied by original artwork, extensive appendices, and a forthcoming documentary produced by Pollard Productions, "Brother Joseph Again" promises to become one of the most significant and talked-about works on the Prophet in recent years. It invites readers not only to see Joseph Smith more clearly, but to feel a renewed connection to the man remembered by many simply as “Brother Joseph.”

About the Authors:

Patrick A. Bishop graduated from Montana State University in 2001 and earned his Master of Science in 2004 from Utah State University. He has enjoyed 25 years of employment with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in Seminaries and Institutes of Religion, Temple Department and Correlation. His expertise in Joseph Smith’s history and likeness has not come from his employment but from intense person research over the last 30 years. He is an independent researcher and writer. He and his wife are the parents of five children. Patrick is an avid outdoorsman and spends most of his extra time with family and friends on lakes and in the mountains.

Joseph F. Brickey graduated with a BFA from Brigham Young University in 2000. He spent over a decade studying independently from coast to coast, as well as in Europe and Scandinavia. After many years as an award-winning figurative painter, he decided to pursue a study of sculpture and moved his family to New York. He completed his MFA at the New York Academy of Art in 2012 and was awarded a residency to study stone carving in Carrara, Italy. This new direction in sculpture has now become essential to his artistic expression and purpose. He currently resides in Utah with his wife and seven children. Joseph paints in a style reminiscent of the old masters, using classical form and composition to create art filled with symbolism. He believes that "art should both measure up in the museum and capture the common heart. The greatest art is that which generates the greatest good."

More Information:

237 pages
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-58958-850-9