Earliest Image of Wilford Woodruff Found on eBay

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Image via Church News.

A small daguerreotype of Wilford Woodruff, taken just two months after the death of Joseph Smith, was found recently on eBay.

Utah photo historian Ron Fox and Anthony Christensen of Anthony’s Antiques and Fine Art came across this monumental image as they were searching eBay. Fox told Church News that he was astounded at this discovery.

When I discovered the image and knew who it was, I began to shake. I called my wife in to look at the image. I realized I had found something very special and very valuable.

The daguerreotype of Wilford Woodruff shows him at the youthful age of 37, much earlier before he became President of the Church. The eBay listing described the previously unknown man as a “handsome intelligent looking man.”

This image of Woodruff is most likely the earliest Nauvoo-era image in existence.

Bridget is a newsroom writer at LDS.net. She graduated in April 2015 from Brigham Young University in communications with an emphasis of public relations. She served a Spanish speaking LDS mission in McAllen, Texas. She is a skilled pianist and an expert baker of chocolate chip cookies.