NEW DELHI: The Internet is abuzz with talk of time travel, again, after online magazine Motherboard brought to attention an 80-year-old mural that shows a Native American holding what looks like a smartphone.
The mural in question? 'Mr Pynchon and the Settling of Springfield' by Umberto Romano, completed in 1937.
The 'Mr. Pynchon' in Romano's mural is William Pynchon, who's known as the founder of the present-day town of Springfield, Massachusetts, says the Smithsonian National Postal Museum. The painting shows Pynchon in a pink suit. Sitting to his left, below him, is a bare-chested Native American looking as if he's, well, taking a 'selfie'.
As the Motherboard magazine article said: 'Do We All See the Man Holding an iPhone in This 1937 Painting?'' The article caught the attention of time travel theory enthusiasts. 'Time travel exists?' said one headline. 'Is this proof of time travel?' asked another.
Last year, Apple chief executive Tim Cook sparked a similar discussion after a tour of Amsterdam's Rijksmuseuem with former European Commissioner Neelie Kroes. While walking through the museum with Kroes, the Apple chief stopped in his tracks when he came across a 17th century painting in which a woman appears to be holding what looks like an iPhone. The art work "Man Handing a Letter to a Woman in the Entrance Hall of a House" is by Pieter de Hooch.
