Special Thanks to Seth Smith for making this video!

"Triumph Over All His Foes" takes place outside Carthage Jail in Carthage, Illinois, on June 27, 1844. This painting shows the moment when the Prophet leaped out the east window and fell to the ground against the well curb, which is the raised wooden base around the well. Earlier in 1838 while being held unjustly in Liberty Jail, the Prophet had been told by the Lord "My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes." (D & C 121:7-8).

In this image I tried to portray the tragedy and the triumph of this moment. The tragedy is obvious, an innocent man gunned down while under the protection of the state. The triumph is a little less obvious. In his death, Joseph had finished his work, he had done all that the Lord had asked of him, and much had been asked of him. He had had so many chances to fail, to give up, to leave the work for someone else, to become bitter and resent the persecution and trial that plagued him from his youth, but he never did. The expression set on the face of the Prophet, as preserved in the death mask, shows a peaceful expression, even a slight smile. The Prophet Joseph Smith died at peace with God, even in the midst of such violence.

Willard Richards recounted "He fell on his left side, a dead man...I withdrew from the window, thinking it of no use to leap out on a hundred bayonets, then around General Smith's body." Willard Richards, Two Minutes in Jail, Times and Seasons, Aug. 1, 1844, 5:598-99.

Accounts differ as to whether or not the Prophet was dead before he hit the ground, but one witness said there was blood on his pants when he came to the window, and that after he fell he "raised himself up against the well curb." Oaks and Hill, Carthage Conspiracy, pg. 21.

The line from the hymn "Praise to the Man" which reads "Traitors and tyrants now fight him in vain...Death cannot conquer the hero again" was part of the inspiration for the piece. The figure on the right in the militia uniform represents the involvement of the state government in the murder. The red highlights on the face and hands of the mob represent the blood of the Prophet and his brother on the hands of the killers. The blackened hands and face were the mob's attempt at disguise, but also symbolizes the spiritual uncleanness of the mob.

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