Many internet users tend to have fun with the concept of time travel. In fact, some people are now under the belief that a 350-year-old painting contains an Apple iPhone. It’s enough that even Apple CEO Tim Cook has addressed the painting.
The painting, which can be traced back to its origin in 1670, was illustrated by Pieter de Hooch. Hooch is from the Dutch Golden Age and his paintings tend to depict domestic scenes from the era. For this particular scene, however, it looks a little more advanced than the 1600s would’ve been. So, as noted by indy100, the painting is once again making the rounds online.
As you can see below, a woman is sitting with a dog while a man is standing to the side with an object in his hand. The object, as noted, looks uncannily like an iPhone. It’s enough to make anyone do a double take. Here’s the image:
And, as mentioned, Apple CEO Tim Cook once addressed the painting at a 2016 press conference. He claims to have been “not so sure” about the inventor of the iPhone. Of course, he said as much with a touch of humor, adding the following:
“There was an iPhone in one of the paintings,” he says, referring to his trip to the Rijksmuseum art gallery in Amsterdam where he first saw the Pieter de Hooch painting. “It’s tough to see but I swear it’s there.”
Of course, this might not actually be proof of any time travel conspiracies people might have. Rather, the name of the painting itself might reveal the mysterious device the man is holding. “Young Woman with a Letter and a Messenger,” the painting is titled, which implies that the man is merely holding an envelope. Nevertheless, the positioning of the item in the man’s hand, and the way he holds it out in front of himself, is undoubtedly all too familiar to those of us who are smart phone users every day.