Joseph Smith, Latter-day "Saint" Photo Print

Mormons don’t have “saints” the way Catholics do—holy people who are venerated and prayed to. Every Mormon believer is a “saint.” But if Mormons did have saints, Joseph Smith would be the first and greatest. Born December 23, he is considered the most important religious figure in history save only Jesus Christ, whose birthday is celebrated December 25. This design by Christopher C. Smith depicts Joseph Smith painted in the style of a medieval Catholic saint. Clutching the Bible and the Book of Mormon—Mormonism’s two foundational books of scripture—he tilts his head in contemplation. A dove sits on his shoulder, symbolizing the Holy Spirit, and a halo surrounds his head. He wears the rustic brown leather jacket of an unassuming nineteenth-century American prophet. Hang this over your mantle at Christmastime or add it to your crypto-Catholic household altar next to your cinnamon-scented candles and that photo of Gordon B. Hinckley.