‘Proof’ time travel is real as 1937 painting shows ‘Native American with iPhone’

A painting completed in 1937 by Italian artist Umberto Romano has left people puzzled after a Native American man is seen holding a small, black rectangular object strikingly similar in shape to an iPhone — sparking wild time travel theories

Conspiracy theorists are convinced that a nearly century-old painting depicting a Native American man holding what appears to be a ‘mobile phone’ is evidence of time travel. The piece, named Mr Pynchon and the Settling of Springfield, was created by Italian artist Umberto Romano in 1937 and portrays the arrival of settlers in the town during the 1620s.

A local can be seen brandishing a small, black rectangular object resembling an iPhone and gazing directly at it, almost as if he’s taking a selfie. This unusual object has left observers perplexed, with many concluding that it could indicate time travel, given iPhones weren’t invented until 2007.

However, Brian Anderson, in an article on Motherboard, deduced that the device is most likely a mirror.

Mr Anderson wrote: “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 wrote.

“The way the man holds it up, if indeed he’s looking at his own face reflecting back at him, would certainly make sense.”

Yet, this isn’t the first instance of a ‘mobile phone’ being spotted in a painting long before the invention of the device.

Conspiracy theorists supported the time travel hypothesis after a woman was seen holding a ‘mobile phone’ in the backdrop of a Charlie Chaplin film from 1928.

The monochrome image of the supposed ‘time traveller’ was captured from the comedian’s silent film, The Circus.

In the image, a woman donning a black top hat and white gloves is seen wandering in the background of the set holding what appears to be a device in her hand, with many speculating that she’s clutching a mobile phone.

Handheld mobile phones didn’t become widely accessible until the 1980s, about 50 years after the Charlie Chaplin film was released. Irish filmmaker George Clarke spotted the ‘time traveller’ in the 1928 film back in 2010 before sharing his observations on his Youtube channel.

In the video, which has since amassed nearly seven million views, the filmmaker elaborated: “If you look carefully, she’s talking on a thin, black device that is held to her ear. If you notice also that the knuckles are bent in the flat shape of a phone.

“The phone is to the ear. It’s not an ear trumpet. It is not an AM/FM radio, obviously because it’s 1928. Technically, there’s nothing that can explain [what] is in her hand… It’s clear she’s talking. She’s on her own. She’s talking into the device.”

A few days after George uploaded the Youtube video, conspiracy theorists began to share their thoughts on the ‘time traveller’ footage. Some suggested that the woman was merely shielding her eyes from the sun, while others contended that she was cupping her ear.

However, the Daily News quickly quashed the conspiracies, stating that “while this fantastical theory is fun to ponder, in all likelihood the woman is actually using a hearing aid.”