Joseph Smith Directing the Nauvoo Legion
- Medium
Oil on canvas
1888
The Nauvoo legion paraded, drilled, held mock battles, and functioned as a deterrent to outside mob violence for several years. The temple, which was actually completed twenty–two months after the Prophet’s death, was included in this picture because it had become the visual symbol of the city. The Swiss–born artist lived after these events happened. He based his painting on eyewitness accounts and drawings by Robert Campbell and Sutcliffe Maudsley.