1937 painting sparks ‘time travel’ theories over mysterious handheld object

A 1937 mural has resurfaced online, igniting fresh claims that it offers proof of time travel, according to a report by the Daily Mail.

The artwork, titled Mr Pynchon and the Settling of Springfield, appears to show an Indigenous man in the 17th century holding a black object with white trim, which some viewers say resembles a modern smartphone.

The painting, created by Italian-born artist Umberto Romano, is one of six New Deal-era murals depicting the history of Springfield, Massachusetts. It portrays William Pynchon trading with Native Americans, believed to be from the Pocumtuc tribe, around the 1630s.

However, historians, including researcher Daniel Crown, have dismissed the smartphone theory, arguing the object is more likely a European trade mirror, a common item exchanged with Indigenous communities at the time.

Despite this explanation, the painting has fuelled a broader online theory that historical artworks may contain hidden evidence of time travelers, with similar claims made about a 19th-century painting and an ancient Greek sculpture.