Lucian Rose Foster (12November 180619March 1876) was a photographer, accountant, bookkeeper, and clerk who was a member of the

Latter Day Saint movement The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by ...

Biography

Foster was born in New Marlboro, Massachusetts, to Nathaniel Foster and Polly. He joined the

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian restorationist Christian denomination and the largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. Founded dur ...

by December 1840, and was appointed clerk of church conference on 4 December 1840. He also became a

branch president A branch president is a leader of a "branch" congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The calling of branch president is very similar to the calling of bishop, except that instead of presiding over a ward, th ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

from 1841–1844. He would later serve as member of the central correspondence committee for Joseph Smith's 1844 presidential campaign, and was also admitted to the

Council of Fifty "The Council of Fifty" (also known as "the Living Constitution", "the Kingdom of God", or its name by revelation, "The Kingdom of God and His Laws with the Keys and Power thereof, and Judgment in the Hands of His Servants, Ahman Christ") was a Lat ...

on 1 March 1845. Foster moved to

Nauvoo, Illinois Nauvoo ( ; from the ) is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States, on the Mississippi River near Fort Madison, Iowa. The population of Nauvoo was 950 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Nauvoo attracts visitors for its h ...

, around 27 April 1844, bringing the

daguerreotype Daguerreotype was the first publicly available photography, photographic process, widely used during the 1840s and 1850s. "Daguerreotype" also refers to an image created through this process. Invented by Louis Daguerre and introduced worldwid ...

shortly after its introduction with him, setting up a daguerreotype

studio A studio is a space set aside for creative work of any kind, including art, dance, music and theater. The word ''studio'' is derived from the , from , from ''studere'', meaning to study or zeal. Types Art The studio of any artist, esp ...

on Fulton Street in August 1844. The Mormon photojournalist and writer Nelson B. Wadsworth speculated that Foster learned how to daguerreotype under Samuel F. B. Morse, although this has been disputed for lack of evidence. Foster released his first

advertisement Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a Product (business), product or Service (economics), service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of int ...

in the ''

Nauvoo Neighbor The ''Nauvoo Neighbor'' was a weekly newspaper edited and published by Latter Day Saint apostle John Taylor in Nauvoo, Illinois, from 1843 to 1845. While it was not an official publication of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the ...

'' on 14 August 1844 which said that he could produce "an image of the person, as exact as that formed by the mirror transferred to, and permanently fixed upon a highly polished silver through the agency of an optical instrument." He went on to produce the first photographic images of Nauvoo and its citizens from 1844 to 1846. However, some of the photographs attributed to him are, properly speaking, of unknown authorship. He was present in the

grand jury A grand jury is a jury empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a person to testify. A grand ju ...

of Nauvoo during the May 1845 term, along with four other Mormons: Daniel Spencer, Hiram Kimball, Samuel Bent, and Peter Hawes (1796-1860). He was also a member of the Nauvoo

Masonic Lodge A Masonic lodge (also called Freemasons' lodge, or private lodge or constituent lodge) is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also a commonly used term for a building where Freemasons meet and hold their meetings. Every new l ...

. Foster had four wives by ''proxy'' sealing: Harriet Eliza Burr, Mary Ann Graham, Ann Mariah Still, and Eliza Leeman Ulrich. In 1846, he was

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in communion with other members of the con ...

by the nascent

LDS Church The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian restorationist Christian denomination and the largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. Founded during ...

and began affiliating with

James Strang James Jesse Strang (March 21, 1813 – July 9, 1856) was an American religious leader, politician and self-proclaimed monarch. He served as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 1853 until his assassination. In 1844, he said he ...

's breakaway

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints—usually distinguished with a parenthetical (Strangite)—is one of the several organizations that claim to be the legitimate continuation of the church founded by Joseph Smith on April 6, 1830. I ...

from 1846 to 1849 after having moved back to

. Foster was among those early Mormons who opposed the polygamous practice of

plural marriage Polygamy (called plural marriage by Latter-day Saints in the 19th century or the Principle by modern fundamentalist practitioners of polygamy) was practiced by leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for more ...

; after Parley P. Pratt took another plural wife, Phoebe Elizabeth Soper, Pratt visited Phoebe's father Samuel in

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

, from whom he learned that Foster had reportedly told "the Old gentleman and Others that I have got Phebe and have now come for" Samuel's other daughters. He also disappears from Church records after the Nauvoo era. Foster moved to

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

by 1870, but, curiously, apparently died in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

, only about six years later in 1876. File:Joseph Smith, Jr. (1843 photograph).jpg,

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious and political leader and the founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. Publishing the Book of Mormon at the age of 24, Smith attracted tens of thou ...

, 1843 File:Joseph Smith daguerreotype.jpg, Joseph Smith, 1844 File:Temple on the hill c1846 (full res).png,

Nauvoo Temple The Nauvoo Temple was the second temple constructed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.''Manuscript History of the Church'', LDS Church Archives, book A-1, p. 37; reproduced in Dean C. Jessee (comp.) (1989). ''The Papers of Jose ...

, File:Nauvoo Temple (flipped Daguerreotype).jpg, A zoomed-in version of the

daguerreotype File:Brigham Young 1846.png,

Brigham Young Brigham Young ( ; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until h ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Lucian American Latter Day Saints Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite) members Converts to Mormonism People excommunicated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 19th-century American photographers