Church responds to Joseph Smith daguerreotype claims

In response to recent reports of photographic image that some say is of Joseph Smith, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has issued a statement indicating that "the church does not have or own this photograph," adding that reports that the church has verified its authenticity "are not true."

According to the LDS Church statement, the image in question actually belongs to the Community of Christ (formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), and is taken from a daguerreotype, an image made on a light-sensitive, silver-coated metallic plate. While the LDS Church does have Joseph Smith's death mask, the statement noted, it does not own any image of Joseph Smith "other than several early artists' portrayals of him and some early photographs of those artists portrayals."