Three old paintings in which smartphones came from somewhere

Once upon a time, in the 1937 painting “Mr. Pynchon and the Settlement of Springfield,” an object that looked suspiciously like a smartphone was noticed, and someone even believed in time travel.

The painting by Italian artist Umberto Romano depicts a scene from the 17th century - still 400 years before the invention of smartphones. The main character of the canvas is the Englishman William Pynchon, a successful fur trader and founder of the Springfield settlement. He is surrounded by Indians, one of whom is holding a mysterious object in the same way we now hold smartphones.

Umberto Romano died in 1982 and during his lifetime did not comment on the figure of the Indian, so it is unclear what exactly he is holding in his hands. Dr. Margaret Bruchak from the University of Pennsylvania believes that it is an iron plate or a wide blade.

Historian Daniel Crone, in an essay about William Pynchon, suggested that the mysterious object could be a hand mirror: they were invented and became popular in the 17th century, and for Native Americans they became a symbol of wealth and prestige. In addition, it can be assumed that the Indian is holding a prayer book.

The work of Umberto Romano is not the first old painting in which our contemporaries have spotted a smartphone. In 2016, Apple CEO Tim Cook found an iPhone in a painting by Dutch artist Pieter de Hooch. “It was hard to see, but I swear it’s there,” Cook joked.

Another painting by Pieter de Hooch - “A Young Woman Receives a Letter” - makes us finally believe that the artist knew more about future inventions than was expected in the 17th century.