This 1937 painting is proof that time travel is possible

 

1937 painting shows an indigenous man holding a smartphone

A 1937 painting by Umberto Romano, titled “Mr. Pynchon and the Colonization of Springfield,” sparked a debate about the possibility of time travel.

The painting, which depicts William Pynchon, founder of Springfield, Massachusetts, during the city’s development, includes a curious detail that has left people intrigued. An indigenous man in the painting appears to be holding a smartphone and making an “excuse me, I have to take this” gesture.

William Pynchon, the subject of the painting, is known for writing “The Meritorious Price of Our Redemption” in 1650, the first book to be banned in Boston and burned on Boston Common. Interestingly, he is also an ancestor of renowned novelist Thomas Pynchon. However, it is the enigmatic Native American man with the seemingly anachronistic object that has caught people’s attention.

The image was widely shared on Reddit, with users commenting on the man's expression, suggesting he had just read a disappointing tweet or seen his post downvoted. Some even imagined scenarios where another man in the painting, who appears tied up and wearing modern-looking pants, is from the present and has had his phone confiscated.

Explanations

Umberto Romano, the artist behind the painting, has another artwork featuring a woman who appears to be looking at an iPad, despite the painting predating the invention of such devices by decades. These curious details have fueled speculation about time travel, although there are alternative explanations.

The most plausible theories suggest that the object held by the Native American man in "Mr. Pynchon and the Settlement of Springfield" is either a hand mirror, a popular item of trade during the period, or an axe head that he is inspecting.

While these explanations may seem trivial compared to the prospect of time travel, they are far more likely than someone from the distant future traveling back to 1937 and revealing their presence by checking their phone notifications while posing for a painting set in 1650.