John Larsen wrote:The images might be more accurate, but it seems like they were designed, in a few cases, to tweak or offend Mormons. What is your goal in creating these images? There has been a claim of more historical accuracy, but I know of no source that claims that Joseph had a stemmed wine glass. To me that puts out an image of fiddling away while Rome burned and partying while in prison. It seems that factual descriptions of the event show a great deal of fear and apprehension on the part of the inmates.
The goal of IOTR is set forth in the "About" page of the site HERE. It is designed to depict facts that are not commonly depicted in Mormon-produced art. Often those facts are not depicted because they would offend the sensibilities of modern Mormons. That, we assert, is not a good reason to avoid exposing people to those facts. in my opinion, a literalist faith like Mormonism ought to base its beliefs on facts, not myths. When myths masquerade as facts, people tend to hold false beliefs about them, and that is a bad thing.
With respect to the drinking vessel Joseph used for the wine, the source I relied on (included in the explanation of the image) states that they used a "glass". After spending some time researching what kinds of glasses were available in that area of the country at that time, it seemed apparent that a stemmed wine glass was a reasonable possibility. A description of 18th and early 19th century drinking glasses can be found HERE
If you are wondering about the bottle, HERE is a site that clarifies what 19th century wine bottles looked like.
As for the lack of fear and turmoil depicted in the image, John Taylor said that the purpose for drinking the wine was to help raise their spirits. It seems reasonable for people trying to cheer themselves up to talk and think about good things--maybe even smile. It should also be noted that none of them thought they were going to be attacked by a mob. In fact, there is evidence that Joseph Smith was expecting a Mormon rescue attempt.
-JV
