People have always been fascinated by the idea of time travel, and now there’s a strange theory about iPhones showing up in old paintings. In this article, we’ll check out four historical paintings that seem to have iPhones in them and see what experts think about this curious idea
Waldmüller Die Erwartete by Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller
The interesting painting shows a woman walking, seeming like she doesn’t notice anything around her. In the front, a man is kneeling and holding a flower. The sharp difference between the sunny path she’s on and his shaded spot makes you look twice. This painting became famous on the internet in 2017 when it was in the Neue Pinakothek Museum in Munich. People made jokes that she was ignoring the man because she was busy swiping on Tinder.
But the real story behind the painting is different. The woman is focused on her hymn book, showing her strong devotion to God, putting spiritual matters above earthly desires. This explanation comes straight from the gallery, and it might surprise those who thought the painting had evidence of time travel.
1937 (painting) by Ben Nicholson
The big painting at Springfield Main Post Office from 1937 shows the settlers arriving in Springfield in the 1620s. But there’s something strange if you look closely. In all the busy stuff happening, one of the Native Americans trading with William Pynchon seems to be looking at something that looks a lot like a smartphone.
The artist who made the painting died in 1982, way before iPhones were a thing. One idea is that the object might be from Europe. “There’s reason to believe, then, that what the man is examining is not an indigenous object, but rather of European origin, like mirrors, which were presented often in such exchanges,” he shared.
“The way the man holds it up, if indeed he’s looking at his own face reflecting back at him, would certainly make sense,” he added.
Young Woman with a Letter and a Messenger in an Interior by Pieter de Hooch
A painting by Pieter de Hooch that’s 350 years old has sparked a lot of talk about time travel. It all started when Tim Cook, the boss of Apple, said he saw something that looked like an iPhone in a painting during a museum visit in Amsterdam in 2016.
The painting from 1670 shows a lady sitting with a dog in her lap, and a man is giving her a “letter.” People got curious because of the attention to detail, especially the letter. Some art fans think the man is just handing her a rectangular-shaped letter, but others think it’s like a hidden clue suggesting time travel.
Mr. Cook was surprised and unsure about the whole thing when he talked about it. When asked about when and where the iPhone was made, he said, “I always thought I knew when the iPhone was invented, but now I’m not so sure anymore.” He proudly showed a photo to the audience, insisting, “It’s tough to see, but I swear it’s there.”
The Betrothal of Robert Burns and Highland Mary engraving, 1886
This artwork shows the famous Scottish poet Robert Burns holding something rectangular that looks like an iPhone while expressing love for Mary Campbell. The artists R. Josey and James Archer made this engraving about 125 years before the iPhone was even invented.
But there’s a simpler explanation that says it’s not about time travel. It’s more likely that what Burns is holding is a religious book. It fits with the tradition of swapping Bibles over a stream during important moments of love and commitment.
Bonus: Portrait of a Boy by Ferdinand Bol
The painting, called Portrait of a Boy, was made by Dutch artist Ferdinand Bol in the 17th century. It shows an eight-year-old boy holding a goblet with his hand on his hip.
If you look really closely, people saw something odd. The boy’s left shoe seems to have a white Nike logo, the one with the “tick.” That’s strange because Nike didn’t start until 1964, which is three hundred years after the painting was done. Fiona Foskett and her daughter, Holly, were the first to notice this interesting detail when they visited the gallery.
“I said to my daughter, ’Hold on, is he wearing a pair of Nike trainers?’” Foskett shared. “Looking at the age, he must have got his hands on the first pair of Nike trainers ever made. Or is he actually a time traveler?”
As we keep getting surprised by the mystery of iPhones showing up in old paintings, you might be thinking: Is this a sign of time travel? Don’t go away! In our next article, we’re going to dig into another puzzling mystery. Come along as we look at eight interesting cases where people seem to have gone beyond time’s normal rules, leaving behind hints that maybe there’s something extraordinary happening with time.