J Gee discusses methods for studying facsimiles, cautions about taking underlying assumptions for granted.
John Gee, "A Method for Studying the Facsimiles," FARMS Review 19, no. 1 (2007): 347–353
The facsimiles from the Book of Abraham continue to fascinate, if only by their strangeness. The only illustrations in our scriptures, they attract attention not only because of their rough-hewn quality but by their very existence as a visual medium in the midst of the written word. Their unusual origin and foreign iconography make them the source of endless uninformed speculation.