The First Photo of Joseph Smith Jr. - Mormon (LDS) Prophet

I have found a photo that is purported to be the first (and one of the only)  photographs of the Prophet Joseph Smith.  He was the one through which the Lord, Jesus Christ restored His gospel in our day.  I know he was a prophet of God and I know that the gospel that was restored through him is that of the Lord, Jesus Christ.  

If this is Joseph Smith Jr. then it would be a photo of him in his younger years, because we know that as he aged he gained some weight and had a receding hair line (partially due to poisoning).  Either way, his eyes look as though they could pierce you to the very core.  

This is supposedly one of the last images (though not a direct photo) of the Prophet before his death.

While there has been much good and bad said of this man, it is my testimony that he was an honest man who loved his family and gave his life in the service of God.  Whether you believe that or not doesn't make any difference.  What has happened cannot be changed, and according to his prophetic word, "no unhallowed hand can stop this work from progressing."  The Lord, through revelation told the Prophet Joseph Smith, "Your people will never be turned against you by the testimony of traitors."  God be thanked for sending prophets into the world because we need them now more than we ever have.  

HW